Objectives

1. Assess environmental and natural resource problems and policies as they affect farms, families, communities, and society.

2. Show agricultural and related policy perceptions for urban and rural residents.

3. Compare the perceptions of North Carolinians with those of people living in the southern region and across the United States.

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Accomplishments

1 . National findings suggest that essentially half the public agrees that "Present farming methods are polluting our water supply," while over a third are uncertain. Southern and state respondents are slightly less likely to agree.

2. Findings suggest that about 40 percent nationally and regionally agree that "Farmers should be paid to protect wetlands." Over a third of the North Carolina residents agree.

3. Only about 10 percent feel that crop farming is a serious threat to drinking water, but nearly 60 percent say it is somewhat of a threat.

4. About one of 12 feel that animal production is a serious threat to drinking water, and 60 percent or more see it as somewhat of a threat. Over three-fourths of the North Carolinians see animal production as either somewhat a threat or a serious threat.

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Significance

These findings enable us to gauge recent opinions about farming's impacts on water quality at the national, regional, and state levels. Comparisons can also be made with perceptions of drinking water risks due to other industrial, natural, resource, and waste disposal activities. The findings have been presented to the House Agriculture Committee, the Senate Agriculture Committee, NASULGC, and to the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center.

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Future Plans

1. Future plans include report, book, articles, and press releases on the findings of the study.

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