ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how major farm policies may have affected sustainable agriculture (SA) in the past and how recent policy changes may alter those impacts in the future. The social commitment to SA was reaffirmed in the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990, and will likely lead to more policy changes in the anticipated 1995 food and agricultural legislation. The attention to SA has brought about questions concerning the role government has played in supporting economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Federal, state, and local agencies, farmers, industry, and other participants in the agricultural sector would likely argue that they have always maintained the goals outlined in the Congressional definition of SA. The 1985 and 1990 food and agricultural legislation also provided new direct financial incentives for farmers to utilize SA systems. In addition to federal efforts to encourage SA, many state governments and national and regional nongovernmental organizations have instituted SA programs.
