Feeding Future Generations: A forum discussion on sustainable global food production

Introduction

On Oct. 13, 2011, The Atlantic and the Beef Checkoff brought together a group of experts to discuss the complex challenge of raising enough food to feed a growing population while preserving natural resources. The goal of the program was to educate Washington, D.C.-area thought leaders and Millennials on the urgent food issues that will arise as the population approaches nine billion. The forum opened with introductory remarks from Richard Gebhart, Professor of Operations Management and Director of Assessment at the University of Tulsa, and a cow-calf producer.

The Atlantic Senior Editor Corby Kummer moderated the day’s program, which began with an interview with former Secretary of Agriculture, Dan Glickman. During the interview, Glickman addressed a wide range of food issues, focusing on the importance of international food aid and agricultural development, as well as the need to reallocate funds within the federal agriculture budget. Glickman also framed the gravity of today’s food scarcity for the audience. He urged people to give food the attention it deserves, asserting, “[Food issues] are just as important as energy security and health security…These are big, complicated, global issues that affect everybody from the manufacturing industry to the health of the general public.”

A panel of experts followed Glickman’s interview, and included Steve Foglesong, a rancher from Illinois and past president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA); Suzy Friedman, Deputy Director of Working Lands at The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF); and Tony Hall, Executive Director of the Alliance to End Hunger. The panel focused on sustainable food production, but touched on numerous other topics including hunger and food availability, food pricing and other pressing food issues. All panelists, as well as Glickman, argued for an increased use of technology to create a more sustainable agricultural system.

Recognizing that the next generation will continue to take on the challenge of feeding a growing world, four Millennials – including students and a recent graduate – were invited to give their thoughts about issues raised throughout the discussion. Panelists included, Aaron Adalja, a Ph.D. candidate for agricultural and resource economics and graduate research assistant at the University of Maryland; Josephine Chu, a master’s student at American University, weekend educator at Living Classrooms Children’s Museums, and after-school educator at Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School; Michael DeTerra a 2011 graduate of Washington State University; and Micaela Samodelov, an undergraduate student and assistant for the Global Environmental Politics program at American University. Four major themes emerged from their discussion: food security, the environment, sustainable agriculture and the challenges faced by farmers and ranchers.

Discussion

Food security challenges

Hall opened the panel discussion with a number of shocking statistics on hunger and malnutrition, noting that there are more hungry people in the world today than the combined populations of the United States, Canada and the European Union. Hall and Glickman agreed that while the United States’ longstanding policy on food aid has traditionally been to deliver food to countries in crisis, such emergency aid will be less likely in the future due to our dwindling surpluses. Food aid is essential for countries confronting hunger crises, said Glickman and Hall, but they both argued that fostering agricultural development in emerging nations is an equally pressing priority. Agricultural development allows countries to manage their own food supply, making them less dependent on Western interventions.

Hall said that eliminating hunger in the United States will require collaboration amongst all stakeholders, including hunger groups, agriculture groups, non-governmental organizations, and businesses. A goal for the United States to work toward, said Hall, is to never let another citizen go to bed hungry.

All speakers agreed that an increased use of technology will be essential to feed our growing population. Despite the difficult economic situation and impending budget cuts, Glickman advocated for continued emphasis on research and development into agricultural technologies, saying that in the long term the right technology can save money while feeding more people. Glickman noted, “We cannot feed a growing world—we cannot feed the Chinas, Indias and Indonesias—without finding ways to grow crops with less water. That’s one of the ways that new technology has to play a role.”

Environmental and Sustainability Challenges

Panelists agreed that the major challenge of increased food production will be preserving the world’s natural resources.

Friedman stressed the importance of moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach to sustainability in agriculture, proposing that information from individual farms should be used more effectively to solve environmental challenges in agriculture. Gebhart and Foglesong agreed with Friedman’s argument, and suggested a more tailored approach to land use to maximize efficient food production.

Glickman considers water availability to be the most serious issue affecting food and agriculture today, and questions how society will feed a growing population with a finite water supply. Proposed solutions included the desalinization of ocean water and crops that require less water, both of which require technological innovations.

Speakers agreed that technology and innovation are not only key to producing crops to feed a growing world population, but also are important to reducing agriculture’s environmental footprint and preserving natural resources. Major takeaways from the conversation about technology included Glickman’s suggestion that research is an essential component of the government’s agricultural spending and should not be eliminated as part of the broader budget cuts; Friedman’s belief that greater investment from academics and other innovators is needed to develop user-friendly agricultural methods; and examples by Friedman and Foglesong of ways in which farmers and ranchers are introducing technology into their farming operations. Foglesong noted, “We have the smallest cowherd since…1950, and in that same timeframe, with the innovations we’ve made in feeding cattle, we’ve reduced our carbon footprint.” Friedman agreed, saying, “A planet that could soon be supporting as many as 10 billion human beings has to work differently from one that held one billion people, mostly peasants, 200 years ago. The challenge of our age is to use human ingenuity to set things up so the planet can accomplish its 21st century task. Returning to the way things were is not realistic or morally tenable.”

According to Foglesong and Friedman, farmers and ranchers are open to working toward more sustainable practices in agriculture. They noted a few examples of cost neutral approaches in widespread use, including the use of animal manure as fertilizer. However, both agreed that until other methods in sustainable agriculture become more affordable, they will not be adopted at commercial scale.

Challenges faced by farmers and ranchers

Discussion about farming and ranching focused on the economic challenges within agriculture today, with a particular focus on the United States’ financial crisis. Glickman discussed the effect budget pressures will have on agricultural programs, stating that cuts are inevitable. He suggested a refocusing of agricultural budget allocations toward three key areas: research; conservation; and consumer issues, such as diet and health.

Foglesong said that consumers set the standard within the food industry, and farmers and ranchers are price takers, not price setters. The current economy has resulted in a shrinking cow herd, according to Foglesong, and if the system stays the way it is, with cattle feedyards running at 50 percent or 75 percent capacity, more operations will be forced to close. The closing of feedyards will lead to the depletion of jobs and infrastructure, he asserted, making it near impossible to rebuild the industry.

Gebhart and Foglesong argued that many of the challenges the industry faces are the result of Americans’ limited knowledge about where and how their food is produced, noting that only 2 percent of the population raises food today. Gebhart emphasized, “It’s important for us to open this dialogue. I welcome the conversation… Cattlemen across the nation are willing to engage in this discussion with you.”

The Millennial response panel

At the beginning of the panel, the Millennials were asked to define “sustainability.” All agreed that sustainability involves collaboration amongst many different stakeholders, including economic, social, environmental, cultural, and educational institutions.

The Millennials emphasized the problem presented by Americans’ disconnection from their food sources. They proposed solutions, including bolstering food education and doing more to encourage home-cooked meals. Chu and DeTerra have both worked on projects to educate the public, and believe this educational outreach was successful. DeTerra, with the support of the Beef Checkoff, made a documentary to help the public understand food origins. Through volunteer work with Washington, D.C.-area children, Chu found that many consumers welcome the opportunity to learn more about food production. DeTerra explained, “One of my goals of the documentary was to educate people to know where their food comes from, to know that it’s done in a safe environment. Through that, people can understand sustainable ways of farming, ranching, where they can get their food.”

Conclusions

All panelists agree that the first step toward feeding future generations is the willingness for different groups to work together on challenging food issues. As the world’s population swells to nine billion, collaborative efforts can help to alleviate hunger, stabilize food prices, promote meaningful regulation and policies, and incentivize the development of agricultural technologies.

While speakers at The Atlantic and the Beef Checkoff’s October forum covered a wide range of food-related topics, consensus emerged on one overarching theme: Food challenges require collaboration and compromise by all stakeholders, and an open dialogue with all parties about how food is raised.

Visit www.ExploreBeef.org to view the full forum discussion or to download a copy of this paper.