Agricultural environments and the people who produce food have historically been excluded from many federal protections, from wage laws to the Clean Water Act. Additionally, though many communities and policymakers across the world are working to prevent deforestation and its impact on climate, the increasingly global and resource-intensive food industry continues to incentivize the clearing of forest land for agricultural production.
The County can begin counteracting these trends by establishing environmental conservation and worker-protection standards for County food services and contracts and supporting consumption of plant-based foods (such as beans and grains) over more land- and resource-intensive animal products (such as meat).