S. Food Systems and US Environmental Law

We eat food every day yet usually know little about where it comes from. The food system, from agricultural production to processing and distribution to consumption and waste, shapes our environment, climate, and public (and personal) health. This course discusses the environmental impact of modern agriculture and the U.S. laws that attempt to address it. Agriculture is highly influenced by the Farm Bill, a complex statute that must be reauthorized every five years (including 2023) and provides a wide range of farm subsidies. Most environmental laws, however, largely exempt or are a challenging fit for agriculture. While modern agriculture is highly productive, it is also more industrial than commonly undrstood. Today, agriculture is the main driver of habitat loss; monoculture row crops dependent on fertilizers and pesticides pollute waters; almost all meat is produced in industrial-scale facilities that generate vast amounts of waste yet often lack effective treatment systems; over-grazing causes erosion and water pollution; the food system as a whole contributes a third of total greenhouse gas emissions. This seminar studies the U.S. environmental and farm laws that directly and indirectly seek to reduce these harms. We explore their strengths and weaknesses and alternative approaches to environmental and public health protections. We start and end with climate change and address other impacts and statutes between.