Why Philosophy Matters for Agricultural Policy; Why Agricultural Policy Matters for Sustainability
Why Philosophy Matters for Agricultural Policy; Why Agricultural Policy Matters for Sustainability
Agricultural policy encompasses diverse laws and administrative procedures that have been developed for the governance of agriculture. Agrarianism presumes that farming or ranching has special moral and political significance. Agrarian ideals assert that the activity of farming confers unique characteristics on the people and communities that practice it. They are the reasons why public policy has made special concessions to farmers and rural communities. Thus, an agrarian philosophy is implicitly committed to a vision of sustainability that goes beyond sustaining livelihoods, sustaining personal and environmental health, and sustaining our national security and standing in the world. The agrarian's view is that agriculture is unlike manufacturing, technology, or medicine, although what makes agriculture different from other sectors of the economy varies from one agrarian thinker to another.
Keywords: agricultural policy, agrarianism, concessions, philosophy, medicine