Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
the free-enterprise system of food production—that should be
made clear. People aren't debating capitalism versus socialism,
but what type of regulated capitalism is best.
As the reader probably suspects, liberals prefer more gov-
ernment regulation when it comes to food health and food
safety. Consumers of organic food and supporters of animal
welfare legislation are also more likely to lean to the politi-
cal left. It is not a stretch to say that food activists—by which
we mean the most vocal individuals seeking changes in agri-
culture—are mostly liberals. (The term “food activist” is not
meant as a euphemism, nor is it intended to suggest an extrem-
ist, but is used to reflect the passion with which some advocate
for changes in agriculture.) Now combine two facts: (1) liber-
als have a negative view of big business, and (2) liberals com-
prise the majority of food activists, and you have a story that
can explain the rise of many agricultural controversies. It is
an overly simple story, as most people have more nuanced
views than this story would suggest. For instance, views
about genetically modified foods cannot be easily explained
by political affiliation, and some evidence suggests that con-
servatives express greater disapproval of genetically modified
foods than liberals.
Then again, basically every county in California that voted
to reelect President Obama also voted in favor of labeling of
genetically modified food, with the reverse being true in other
counties, so when it comes to genetically modified foods, it is
regulation that is controversial. You see, agricultural contro-
versies are not just scientific controversies but have a political
component as well. Most scientists would prefer to keep agri-
cultural science and politics separate, but these days, politics
and food go together like salt and pepper. This is evident in
where we buy food. If you drive through a region populated
with an unusually large number of Cracker Barrel restaurants,
studies have shown that the region is probably dominated
by Republicans. Likewise, Whole Foods grocery stores tend
to prosper in Democratically controlled districts. However
