ECOLABELS: THE LINK BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL PREFERENCES AND GREEN PRACTICES?

Ecolabels, food labeling, consumer preferences, Environmental Economics and Policy,

AGRICULTURE IN AN ECOSYSTEMS FRAMEWORK

By broadening the definition of an ecosystem to include economic activities, can we better characterize the interactions and relationships among agricultural activities and important indicators of ecological system health? This paper addresses research approaches for assessing the role of agriculture in an ecosystems context. Environmental regulation and resource management policies have heightened the interest in understanding interactions among agricultural activities and the natural resource base, including the impacts of agriculture on environmental quality and the impacts on agriculture of ecosystem restoration efforts. What are the most meaningful indicators of environmental quality? Which agricultural practices and policies should be considered, along with which nonagricultural resource uses? Finally, does the evolving thinking about ecosystems permit us to link agricultural practices and policies more directly and meaningfully to conceptions of sustainability, of both natural and socioeconomic systems? This paper presents a brief synopsis of ecosystem management, drawing from several recent governmental initiatives. It then provides an overview of the economics of ecosystem management from the perspective of the role of agriculture; discusses two specific cases, the Pacific Northwest and South Florida; and concludes with a discussion of promising economic approaches, data needs, and caveats to those engaged in policy analysis involving ecosystem restoration.Environmental Economics and Policy,

ECOLABELS: THE LINK BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL PREFERENCES AND GREEN PRACTICES?

Ecolabels, food labeling, consumer preferences

Review of the Nutritional Status of WIC Participants: Final Report

Excerpt from the Executive Summary: The Secretary of Agriculture committed the Department to conduct a comprehensive study of the nutritional adequacy of supplemental food packages provided in the WIC Program (The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children). The Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion is charged with the Department’s nutritional review. The goal of the review is to assess how well the WIC food packages perform as supplemental food packages assisting low-income recipients to meet nutritional standards for a healthful diet. The goal has three component tasks: (1) identify current nutritional recommendations for each of the WIC participant groups; (2) assess the diets of WIC participants in light of these standards; (3) examine the contribution of the WIC food packages to meeting the standards. From this assessment, any nutrient gaps or excesses among the WIC populations can be identified, along with opportunities for improving the WIC package