Author: Stephanie Zhu

Publisher:

Published: 2023

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

There is a global imperative to shift agriculture and food systems to be more environmentally sustainable and socially just. In the United States, agriculture policy is increasingly supporting these types of agriculture, with programs such as Climate-Smart Commodities and increased funding opportunities for socially disadvantaged farmers. At the same time, there is growing national concern over the increasing average age of farmers, making it critical to understand the support that exists for the new generation of new and beginning farmers and whether it can synergistically align with introducing alternative agriculture paradigms. After brief examination of U.S. agricultural policy's roots in promoting increased productivity, then surplus distribution and support of farmer incomes, this thesis considers more recent US agricultural policy and the 2018 Farm Bill to understand the ways ecologically and socially-minded agriculture for beginning farmers is supported through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP). This program was renewed in the 2018 Farm Bill. Using a framework of agroecology defined by the FAO's High Level Panel of Experts in 2019 which encompasses both ecological and social elements, an analysis was done to qualitatively code BFRDP projects funded in the years 2018-2021 (n = 204) for prevalence of principles of agroecology. Then, descriptive statistics were generated about the allocation of funding towards principles that can be considered "ecological" and "social", as well as which principles are prioritized in funding. This analysis found that social principles had more funding allocated than ecological ones, and Principle 10 "Fairness" is most prevalent which aligns with the 2018 Farm Bill's greater push for social justice through new prioritizations for socially disadvantaged and beginning farmers. I then examine agroecologically-conducive policies and the successes and challenges of agroecology present in policy and political movements internationally in different countries. Based on the examination of BFRDP grants and ensuing analysis of agroecology's compatibility with policy, the United States can learn lessons and implement agroecology as a guiding framework in domestic agriculture policy for ecological and social transformation of our agrifood system.