Ecological modernization in U.S. agri-environmental programs: Trends in the 2014 Farm Bill

Traditionally applied in industrial production contexts, ecological modernization (EM) can also be applied in the context of agriculture. This paper applies the EM perspective to explain recent trends in U.S. agri-environmental policy, particularly in the context of the 2014 Farm Bill. The most recent policy iteration streamlines the portfolio of conservation programs, increases the emphasis on working lands programs that incorporate environmental protection technologies into agricultural production practices, and increases regional approaches and federal–local partnerships. These trends reflect both a continued reliance on incorporation of new technologies by private economic producers as the primary means of ensuring environmental protection as well as an increase in modernized, decentralized governance.