ABSTRACT
The current United States (US) industrialized agriculture system, with chemical and Genetically Modified (GM) pesticides as its centerpiece, is not merely a product of market forces driving increased yields per acre. US agricultural policy has provided incentives that are antithetical to building a more ecologically based sustainable agriculture system. The Green Revolution refers to the transformation of agriculture that began in the 1940s and gained traction during the 1960s, leading to dramatic increases in per acre farm yields. Although the changes brought about by the Green Revolution have served to significantly increase crop yields, they have also brought with them a variety of adverse social, economic, and environmental consequences. Despite the many environmental and human health impacts of industrial agriculture, US Farm Policy continues to encourage high-yield monoculture and intense chemical input industrial agriculture. The primary policies that encourage this form of agriculture are the commodity subsidy programs in the Farm Bill.
