As an alumni member of the National FFA Organization, I was among many who were recently
The latter message was from a scientist friend who thought I might be interested in a request for an investigation of alleged cover ups of USDA scientists by the agrochemical and biotechnology giant, Monsanto. The investigation request was covered in this article by Reuters, and highlights allegations that USDA scientists are censored when they attempt to communicate concerns about agrochemical safety.
These allegations are not new to me. When I worked as a scientist for USDA, I found that pressures to concentrate research efforts on technologies that supported big business, and research that supported other government entities, always exceeded support for addressing either concerns indicated by our own science, or concerns voiced by the public at large. I also knew many scientists who, at least behind closed doors, would attest to the fact that our collective efforts in technology advancement over the past century had contributed to one or more of the following problems:
1) the erosion of our soils
2) shrub encroachment on rangelands
3) loss of nitrogen fixing bacteria from croplands
4) the loss of pollinators, beneficial insects, and beneficial microbes from our ecosystems
5) decline of our family farms and public school support for FFA programs
6) concentration of land holdings among the wealthiest sectors of society
7) growth of the junk food industry
8) rise in obesity, diabetes, and heart disease
9) loss of biodiversity in our crop systems
10) the advancement of a society that is largely ignorant of how food is grown and where it comes from
So as I read the Reuters article, I considered Bledsoe’s statement about an agricultural future characterized by cutting edge technology, improved science, and greater innovation, and I realized it is crucial for our National FFA Organization, the entity which may best represent the face of agriculture to our youth, to refine this statement. FFA needs to embrace the challenge of teaching youth to make new agricultural technologies sustainable.
This does not mean we reject or abandon technology. Rather, it means we make technologies more appropriate, more local, more transparent, and more accessible. In many cases, making agricultural technologies sustainable will require a blending of new technologies, like those centered around soil food webs and metagenomes, with timeless practices like seed saving, composting, organic agriculture, and permaculture--practices that foster biodiversity, economic independence and good nutrition. By blending these technologies we can develop practices that increase yields and restore ecosystems. We can also improve human nutrition, and reduce costs to growers. Finally, we can engage more young entrepreneurs in agricultural pursuits that make health and nutrition more accessible, while channeling more income into local communities. All of this is both cutting edge and sustainable.
Moving towards sustainability will also involve embracing the role of agriculture and nutrition as the foundation of public health. Functional food is our best medicine, and we will not reduce the obesity, diabetes, mental health issues, cancer, or other epidemics plaguing our healthcare system until we can ensure that the food coming out of our agricultural system is providing the nutrition people require for good health, and that it is free of chemicals that contribute to disease. Foods leaving our agricultural systems in the future must be free of chemical residues that disrupt ecosystem balances or influence cell function.
Finally, sustainable agriculture will require a localization of technology development so that crop systems remain diversified, and profits are primarily distributed within the communities in which they are generated. Local innovations should be valued over technologies developed in other climate zones, for other soil types, in other economic systems. This local innovation will result in more economic opportunity, more diversified food systems, and technologies that are more appropriate to the surrounding environment.
Perhaps most of all, a movement towards sustainability will require empowering our youth towards greater local control of food systems. When entire food systems serving hundreds of millions are controlled and regulated by only a few thousand bureaucrats and corporate executives, decisions made simply cannot reflect the needs of the many served. We don't yet know what will come of the allegations made against USDA, but it is only logical to assume that when one-size-fits all regulations guide nearly every step of agricultural production and food processing methods, growers simply lack the autonomy and liberty required to adapt their growing practices to changing economies in changing environments. Tomorrows leaders need to be willing to bring responsibility for food and environmental quality closer to home, where it can be managed more transparently with input from those whose health is most influenced by agricultural practices.
So with this post, I ask my readers who are stakeholders in the future of FFA, readers who have a stake in the future of agriculture and food, to voice their opinions here, before April 9, 2015, by asking our National FFA Organization to prioritize education for sustainable agriculture technologies and innovations. Technologies and innovations which simultaneously protect local economies, foster diverse soil biology, emphasize total nutrition over isolated nutrients, and recognize functional food as the best weapon in the war for public health, offer the best assurance we have of maintaining America's status, not only as a leader in global agriculture, but as a leader in the global economy. Leadership training that empowers young people to accept local responsibility for food production is key to creating a safer, more transparent food system. By voicing your opinion, you can influence the future security of our food systems.
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