Can Sustainable Agriculture/Habitat Management Pay Off?

Agricultural production in the US and the EC has expanded so successfully over the last 40 years that both governments are now seeking ways to limit it and the resulting environmental costs. The EC is therefore encouraging habitat management payments which provide public environmental benefits instead of crop subsidies to farmers. The 1996 Farm Bill in the US is following a similar approach with a transitional buyout program. This paper compares habitat payment programs between the two regions and provides examples of how farmers can integrate sustainable agriculture with habitat management for an economic return. A case study of a 3,200-acre coastal ranch in central California demonstrates some alternatives to achieve this.