Friday, Mar 11 2011 4:56PM
Organic farmers in California may lose substantial funding if certain budget cuts are passed by the U.S. Congress.
Farmers in California's rural Santa Cruz County that were hoping to switch to organic crops say the transition will be severely impeded by legislation recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, reported the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Part of a wave of federal budget cuts, the bill would cut multiple programs that support the organic and sustainable agriculture industry, in which California is a national leader, reported the newspaper. This year alone, 13 businesses in Santa Cruz County have applied for funds through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service Environmental Quality Incentives Program to offset the price of
green infrastructure development.
Ariane Lotti, the policy director for the Organic Farming Research Foundation, told the paper the budget cuts could stunt the development of the country's organic food industry.
"The organic farming movement is one of fastest growing segments of agriculture," Lotti said. "It requires strong information, research and resources to continue to grow. Essentially this cut would slow the information to farmers and slow the growth of organic agriculture."
Organic farming can encourage both health and environmental benefits. The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements says that organic agriculture conserves water, enhances soil structures and sustains local biodiversity.