ABSTRACT
Agriculture began in the Everglades, south of Lake Okeechobee, after the drainage projects of the 1906-27 era and intensified after the water control projects of the early 1950s, which created the Everglades Agricultural Area. Today in south Florida, more than $750 million is earned annually from production of sugarcane, vegetables, sod, and rice and over 20,000 full-time equivalent jobs are provided. The future of agriculture in the Everglades is, however, uncertain due to possible changes in federal farm programs, the loss of organic soils as a result of drainage, and concerns about nutrients in drainage water from the Everglades Agricultural Area. These latter concerns may be significantly alleviated by the development of an agriculture more compatible with a periodic wet season, high water tables, and flooding.
