People can call or write me at Voice: (202)547-5754, or FAX:
(202)547-1837.
This effort is being coordinated by the Sustainable Agriculture
Coalition, and is being distributed through sus ag, farm and
environmental circles.
Ferd Hoefner
Box 76 (Suite 108)
110 Maryland Ave. NE
Washington, DC 20002
November -, 1993
President Bill Clinton
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500
Mike Espy
Secretary, Department of Agriculture Room 200-A,
Administration Building 14th and Independence Ave.,
S.W. Washington, D.C. 20250
Carol M. Browner
Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency 401 M St., S.W.
- W1200
Washington, D.C. 20460
David A. Kessler
Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration 5600 Fishers Lane
- 14-71
Rockville, MD 20857
Dear President Clinton, Ms. Browner, and Messrs. Espy and
Kessler:
We, the undersigned organizations, were pleased and excited by
the June announcement of the Administration's commitment to
reducing the use of pesticides and promoting sustainable
agriculture. The proposed policy package announced in September,
however, includes few details on pesticide reduction and no
provision for sustainable agriculture. We write now, therefore, to
offer our assistance and recommendations and hopefully to open a
dialogue on how to pursue pesticide reduction goals and how
to incorporate sustainable agriculture into the Administration's
budget and policy priorities.
In our opinion, several initial steps are critical if real
progress is to be made. First, the Administration should increase
its support for, and redirect funding to, the federal programs
which constitute the fundamental building blocks for fostering a
more sustainable agriculture: USDA's Sustainable Agriculture
Research and Education (SARE) and Sustainable Agriculture
Technology Development and Transfer (SATDTP) programs and EPA's
Agriculture in Concert with the Environment (ACE) program.
Increased support should also be given to accelerated
implementation of the Organic Foods Production Act. These programs
should play a key role in the plan of action to promote sustainable
agriculture and reduce pesticide use.
Second, the Administration should reorient the objectives and
procedures of the water quality and integrated pest management
research and extension programs and coordinate them more closely
with the sustainable agriculture initiatives. These
programs -- which should be important components of a comprehensive
sustainable agriculture program -- have focused too much and for
too long on chemical management rather than on redesigning farming
systems to prevent pest problems and nutrient shortages
from occurring in the first place. The water quality and IPM
programs should consistently emphasize source reduction and
pollution prevention, multidisciplinary and systems approaches, and
on-farm research and demonstration. The broad partnership between
agencies, researchers, farmers, non-profit organizations,
agribusiness, and educational institutions demonstrated by the SARE
program should serve as a model.
Third, using these programs and other resources, a substantial
retooling of technical assistance and educational resources, and
retraining of USDA and other personnel, must occur to make the
system more capable of implementing sustainable agriculture and
reduced pesticide use programs. In this context, inserting
sustainable agriculture as an organizing principle in the plans to
reorganize USDA and revitalize its mission is essential.
Beyond these critical first steps, our communities have a
broad range of other ideas we would like to discuss with you as you
pursue your pesticide reduction and sustainable agriculture goals.
In general terms, there is a clear need to improve our investments
in economic opportunity, resource stewardship, and environmental
protection in agriculture. Such investment should occur in a
policy setting that encourages innovation and rewards good
management of the land, sets clear, practical social and
environmental performance goals, and experiments with new
approaches. High priority policy and program reforms include:
* redirecting ongoing publicly-funded research and
development efforts to provide far greater emphasis on sustainable
agricultural technologies;
* revising existing commodity, credit, and conservation
programs to provide farmers more flexibility to design and
implement diversified, integrated farming systems -- and to adapt
them to changing needs -- within the framework of stronger
environmental standards and increased economic opportunities in
farming;
* assuring that environmental programs more consistently
emphasize farmer-friendly, cost-effective resource enhancement and
pollution prevention approaches; and
* increasing marketing options, including cooperative and
business development and new industrial uses, for organic,
resource-conserving and other alternative agriculture crops and
products, with a focus on farmer and local community owners.
Long-term, sustainable agriculture needs to be understood as
a bedrock of sustainable development and a key to a revitalized
rural economy, a renewed natural resource base, and a safe and
wholesome food supply. As the international community
increasingly focuses on sustainable development, new and innovative
thinking is needed here at home on appropriate choices for our own
food and agriculture strategy. We would be happy to discuss with
you concrete ideas for a comprehensive sustainable agriculture and
pesticide reduction plan of action.
In conclusion, we took your June announcement as a signal that
the Administration believes, as we do, that pursuing sustainable
agriculture systems is the only viable policy choice for the
future. Clearly, there is no future for such change
unless the Administration provides leadership to develop and
implement the fundamental policies and programs needed for a
transition to a more sustainable agriculture. Therefore, we urge
you to work with the growing, producer-led sustainable agriculture
movement across the country to make the sustainable agriculture
agenda a key part of your broader agenda for change.
Thank you for your careful consideration of our views.
Sincerely,
(list of organizations)
cc: Vice President Al Gore, Jr./Kathleen McGinty, Director,
Office of Environmental Quality/John H. Gibbons, Assistant to the
President for Science and Technology/William A. Galston, Deputy
Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy/Greg C
. Simon, Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President/Molly Olson,
Executive Director, President's Council on Sustainable
Development/Leon E. Panetta, Director, Office of Management and
Budget/T.J. Glauthier, OMB Associate Director, Natural Resources,
Energy and Science/David Gardiner, EPA Assistant Administrator for
Policy, Planning, and Evaluation/Lynn Goldman, EPA Assistant
Administrator for Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances/Gary
J. Foley, Acting EPA Assistant Administrator for Research and
Development/Richard E. Rominger, Deputy Secretary of
Agriculture/Eugene Moos, Undersecretary for International Affairs
and Commodity Programs/Bob J. Nash, Undersecretary for Small
Community and Rural Development/Warden C. Townsend, Jr., Assistant
Secretary for Administration/James R. Lyons, Assistant Secretary
for Natural Resources and Environment/Ellen W. Haas, Assistant
Secretary for Food and Consumer Services/Dean Plowman, Acting
Assistant Secretary for Science ,and Education/Eugene Branstool,
Assistant Secretary for Marketing and Inspection.