Editing Agricultural policy (section)

=== Organic farming assistance ===
[[Welfare economics]] theory holds that sometimes private activities can impose [[social cost]]s upon others. [[Industrial agriculture]] is widely considered to impose social costs through [[Environmental impact of pesticides|pesticide pollution]] and [[Eutrophication#Nonpoint sources|nitrate pollution]]. Further, agriculture uses large amounts of water, a [[water scarcity|scarce resource]].<ref name=Water>{{cite web|last1=Peppard|first1=Christiana Z.|title=Fresh water scarcity: An introduction to the problem|url=http://ed.ted.com/lessons/fresh-water-scarcity-an-introduction-to-the-problem-christiana-z-peppard|website=TED Ed: Lessons Worth Sharing|publisher=TED.com|access-date=28 August 2015}}</ref> Some economists argue that taxes should be levied on agriculture, or that organic agriculture, which uses little pesticides and experiences relatively little nitrate runoff, should be encouraged with subsidies. In the United States, 65% of the approximately $16.5 billion in annual subsidies went to the top 10% of farmers in 2002 because subsidies are linked to certain commodities.<ref>''The Heritage Foundation'' (2004) {{unfit|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20071116105758/http://www.heritage.org/Research/Budget/bg1763.cfm The Heritage Foundation]}}</ref> On the other hand, organic farming received $5 million for help in certification and $15 million for research over a 5-year time period.