Section 2-6-2. Purpose of article; legislative findings; acceptance of federal Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act

   (a) It is recognized and declared:

   (1) That the soil resources and fertility of the land of this state and the economic use thereof, the prosperity of the farming population of this state, the navigability of the rivers and harbors of this state, and the prevention of floods in this state are matters affected with a public interest;

   (2) That the welfare of this state has been impaired and is in danger of being further impaired by destruction of its soil fertility, by uneconomic use and waste of its land, by exploitation and wasteful and unscientific use of its soil resources, by floods and impairment of its rivers and harbors and of the navigability of its waters and water courses as a result of soil erosion, and by the decrease in the purchasing power of the net income per person on farms in the state as compared with the net income per person in the state not on farms;

   (3) That such evils have been augmented and are likely to be augmented by similar conditions in other states and are so interrelated with such conditions in other states that the remedying of such conditions in this state requires action by this state in cooperation with the governments and agencies of other states and of the United States and requires assistance therein by the government and agencies of the United States; and

   (4) That the formulation and effectuation by this state of state plans in conformity with Section 7 of the federal Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act is calculated to remedy such conditions and will tend to advance the public welfare of this state.

(b) Therefore, in order to promote the welfare of the people of this state by aiding in the preservation and improvement of soil fertility, in the promotion of the economic use and conservation of land, in the diminution of exploitation and wasteful and unscientific use of soil resources, in the protection of rivers and harbors against the results of soil erosion, and in the reestablishment, at as rapid a rate as is practicable and in the general public interest, of the ratio between the purchasing power of the net income per person on farms and that of the net income per person not on farms that prevailed during the five-year period beginning August, 1909, and ending July, 1914, as determined from statistics available in the United States Department of Agriculture, and the maintenance of such ratio, this state assents to and accepts the federal Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act and adopts the policy and purpose of cooperating with the government and agencies of other states and of the United States in the accomplishment of the policy and purposes specified in Section 7 of such act, subject, however, to the following limitations:

   (1) The powers conferred in this article shall be used to assist voluntary action calculated to effectuate such purposes;

   (2) Such powers shall not be used to discourage the production of supplies of foods and fibers in this state which are sufficient, when taken together with the production thereof in other states of the United States, to maintain normal domestic human consumption, as determined by the secretary of agriculture of the United States from the records of consumption in the years 1920 to 1929, inclusive, taking into consideration increased population, quantities of any commodities that were forced into domestic consumption by a decline in exports of particular commodities, and the quantities of substitutes available for domestic consumption within any general class of food commodities; and

   (3) In carrying out the purposes specified in this Code section, due regard shall be given to the maintenance of a continuous and stable national supply of agricultural commodities, adequate to meet consumer demand at prices fair to both producers and consumers.

Ga. L. 1937, p. 538, § 2.