Who “Designs” the Agricultural Landscape?

Abstract

In the United States, the landscape most responsible for producing animal protein is the Upper Midwest “Corn Belt.” Currently, this region is challenged by poor water quality, declining biological diversity, and decaying rural communities. It is also the region most responsible for the zone of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. This paper examines the question of who has designed the current agricultural landscape in the Corn Belt, and how it might best be re-designed to better serve broader public interests. Several modeling studies indicate that the region would benefit both economically and ecologically from increased perennial cover on the landscape. However, farmers’ options for meaningful land use change are significantly constrained by powerful market forces far removed from the region. Federal conservation programs have been poorly funded, and generally make minor improvements to conventional production systems, while commodity policy is heavily influenced by agribusiness interests. Metropolitan consumers can demand greater accountability from the global agribusiness corporations responsible for the design of the Corn Belt and work for food and agricultural policy that supports ecosystem health, public health, and health of rural communities.