By Martin Derrow, Florida Clinicians for Climate Action
Farming is big business in Florida — affecting our economy, health and quality of life. So, the Farm Bill — a massive piece of federal legislation that rolls out every five years or so — has outsized impact on the people of our state. The 2024 Farm Bill, now under consideration in Congress, may be the most consequential yet.
Two proposed changes to the Farm Bill pose real threats to our health and well-being, in Florida and across the U.S.
First, some members of Congress are proposing to divert investments from the Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP), which puts food on the table for 2.85 million Florida residents — 13% of the state’s people. Across the U.S., SNAP benefits help feed 12.5% of the population — approximately 41.2 million people.
Second, those representatives want to redirect $19.5 billion in federal conservation investments, which are essential to preserve the health of our soil and water for current and future generations. Here in Florida, those investments are helping farmers save critical ecosystems and habitats.
If these members of Congress have their way, funds from SNAP and conservation programs could be spent instead on commodity price supports for several crops: wheat, corn, sorghum, sugar, barley, oats, rice, soybeans and peanuts.
Many of these commodities pose risks to public health by supporting our automobile-based transportation system and unhealthy diets. Nearly half of all corn grown in the U.S. is used to make ethanol to fuel cars; another 40% is used for livestock feed. Other commodities are used to produce inexpensive, highly processed foods associated with the development of obesity and debilitating metabolic diseases such as diabetes.
Moreover, commodity price supports enable the industrial farming that contributes substantially to our nation’s greenhouse gas production. Subsidized sugar cane farms in Florida despoil our water through nutrient runoff and pollute our air.
Sugar cane burning, 90% of which takes place in the Everglades region, produces airborne particulate matter equivalent to a year’s worth of emissions from all vehicles in Florida, concentrated in a single region over the course of six months. That pollution disproportionately impacts low-income and Black communities, exacerbating asthma, lung and cardiovascular disease.
The Farm Bill is especially important in Florida, where agriculture contributes $7.75 billion to the state’s economy in direct sales receipts. While federal conservation funds are available to all farmers, commodity price supports benefit only the largest and wealthiest agricultural operations. Preserving the $19.5 billion in conservation programs will help Florida farmers adopt sustainable practices and protect our soil and waterways for the future.
By investing in robust nutrition assistance for our most vulnerable neighbors, while also safeguarding conservation program funding, we can support human and environmental health.
Together, let us advocate for investments in conservation programs, in our farmers, in nourishing food, healthy soil and nutrition programs. Together, we can create a sustainable and resilient food system that ensures abundance for current and future generations.
Martin Derrow is a member of the Florida Clinicians for Climate Action Advocacy Committee. An internal medicine physician who practiced in Central Florida until his retirement, his interests include evidence-based medicine, environmental health and their intersection. This opinion piece was originally published by the Palm Beach Post, which is a media partner of The Invading Sea.
If you are interested in submitting an opinion piece to The Invading Sea, email Editor Nathan Crabbe at ncrabbe@fau.edu. Sign up for The Invading Sea newsletter by visiting here.
