This document is a literature review on farm subsidies that examines their history, current state, impacts, and policy recommendations. It discusses how farm subsidies have historically supported commodity crops but now disproportionately benefit large farms. While intended to support farmers, subsidies have unintended consequences like distorting food markets and contributing to public health issues by incentivizing production of commodity crops used in highly processed foods inconsistent with dietary guidelines. The document considers arguments for and against subsidies and recommends reforming policies to provide more support for biodiverse specialty crops and carefully considering unintended impacts.

1. Mike Shelby
NUTR 3320

2. Farm Subsidies:
What Are They?
(Jackson, Minjares, Naumoff, Shrimali, & Martin, 2009)
(Russo & Smith, 2013)

3. Farm Subsidies:
What Are They?
(Jackson, Minjares, Naumoff, Shrimali, & Martin, 2009)
(Russo & Smith, 2013)

4. Farm Subsidies:
What Are They?
(Jackson, Minjares, Naumoff, Shrimali, & Martin, 2009)

5. History of Farm Subsidies
(Franck, Grandi, & Eisenberg, 2013)

6. History of Farm Subsidies
(Eubanks, 2009)
(Franck, Grandi, & Eisenberg, 2013)
(Shannon, Kim, McKenzie, & Lawrence, 2015)
(Wallinga, 2010)

7. Farm Subsidies Today
(Franck, Grandi, & Eisenberg, 2013)

8. Farm Subsidies Today
Crop Insurance
(Franck, Grandi, & Eisenberg, 2013)

9. The Impact of
Farm Subsidies
Economic Cost
(Franck, Grandi, & Eisenberg, 2013)
(Russo & Smith, 2013)

10. The Impact of
Farm Subsidies
Disproportionately Benefits Large Farms
(Franck, Grandi, & Eisenberg, 2013)
(Jackson, Minjares, Naumoff, Shrimali, & Martin, 2009)

11. The Impact of
Farm Subsidies
Creates Distorted Food Market
(Franck, Grandi, & Eisenberg, 2013)
(Jackson, Minjares, Naumoff, Shrimali, & Martin, 2009)
(Wallinga, 2010)

12. Nutrition-Related Problems
with Farm Subsidies
1) Most Commodities are used
for Highly Processed Foods
( Russo & Smith, 2013)

13. Nutrition-Related Problems
with Farm Subsidies
1) Most Commodities are used
for Highly Processed Foods

14. Nutrition-Related Problems
with Farm Subsidies
1) Most Commodities are used
for Highly Processed Foods

15. Nutrition-Related
Problems with Farm
Subsidies
2) Inconsistent with Dietary Guidelines
(Jackson, Minjares, Naumoff, Shrimali, & Martin, 2009)
(Russo & Smith, 2013)
(Story, Hamm, Wallinga, 2009)

16. Nutrition-Related
Problems with Farm
Subsidies
2) Inconsistent with Dietary Guidelines
(Jackson, Minjares, Naumoff, Shrimali, & Martin, 2009)

17. Nutrition-Related
Problems with Farm
Subsidies
2) Inconsistent with Dietary Guidelines
(Jackson, Minjares, Naumoff, Shrimali, & Martin, 2009)

18. Policy Recommendations
#1: Provide Support for Biodiverse
Agriculture that includes Specialty
Crops
(Bowen, Bryant, Hess, Hughes-McCarty, & Ivey, 2014)
(Jackson, Minjares, Naumoff, Shrimali, & Martin, 2009)
(Orehek & Vazeou-Nieuwenhuis, 2016)

19. Policy Recommendations
#2: Reform Policy with Careful
Consideration of Unintended Consequences
(Story, Hamm, Wallinga, 2009)
(Wallinga, 2010)

20. Counterarguments & Arguments
in Favor of Subsidies
#1: Retail prices aren’t low because of subsidies;
they’re low because of production efficiency
(Shannon, Kim, McKenzie, & Lawrence, 2015)

21. Counterarguments & Arguments
in Favor of Subsidies
#2: Eliminating Commodity Subsidies will Hurt
Farmers
(Shannon, Kim, McKenzie, & Lawrence, 2015)

22. Conclusions

23. References
Bowen, P. G., Bryant, P. H., Hess, A., Hughes-McCarty, K., & Ivey, J. B. (2014). Modifying public policy to combat obesity. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners,
10(2), 100-106.
Eubanks, W. S. (2009). A rotten system: Subsidizing environmental degradations and poor public health with our nation’s tax dollars. Stanford Environmental
Law
Journal, 28, 213-310
Franck, C., Grandi, S., & Eisenberg, M. (2013). Taxing junk food to counter obesity. American Journal of Public Health, 103(11). doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301279
Jackson, R. J., Minjares, R., Naumoff, K. S., Shrimali, B. P., &
Martin, L. K. (2009). Agriculture policy is health policy. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 4(3-4), 393-408. doi:
10.1080/19320240903321367
Orehek, E., & Vazeou-Nieuwenhuis (2016). Understanding the obesity problem: Policy implications of a motivational account of (un)healthy eating. Social Issues
and Policy Review, 10(1), 151-180.
Russo, M., & Smith, D. (2013). Apples to Twinkies 2013: Comparing taxpayer subsidies for fresh produce and junk food. U.S. PIRG. Retrieved March 4, 2016 from
http://www.uspirg.org/sites/pirg/files/reports/Apples_to_Twinkies_2013_USPIRG.pdf
Shannon, K. L., Kim, B. F., McKenzie, S. E., & Lawrence, R. S. (2015). Food system policy, public health, and human rights in the United States. The Annual
Review of Public Health, 36, 151-73.
Story, M., Hamm, M.W., & Wallinga, D. (2009). Food systems and public health: Linkages to achieve healthier diets and healthier communities. Journal of
Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 4(3-4), 219-224. doi: 10.1080/19320240903351463
Walinga, D. (2010). Agricultural policy and childhood obesity: A food systems and public health commentary. Health Affairs, 29(3), 405-410. doi:
10.1377/hlthaff.2010.0102