The way forward requires a collective effort
At the Global Harvest Initiative, the collective "we" are always thinking about and rethinking the way forward in our quest to close the global productivity gap by 2050. In that sense, on Monday I attended the Farm Credit Council's Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., where many in the agricultural industry and others, including U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford, Jr., gathered to offer their views on the way forward.
While each of the speakers offered interesting thoughts about agriculture's mission, I thought Monsanto's Executive Vice President, Sustainability & Corporate Affairs and GHI Board Member
Jerry Steiner's remarks were particularly enlightening in offering a prescription for the way forward for GHI's mission. In part, Steiner said:GHI's success will depend on bringing together a diverse group of experts to develop, share [ideas]... and jointly advocate for policies that address six specific actions.
They are to:
1. Increase competitive agricultural research
2. Enhance food security through freer trade
3. Improve the effectiveness of U.S. foreign development assistance activities
4. Offer greater incentives for innovation and conservation throughout the agriculture value chain
5. Promote science-based approval of new technologies and
6. Invest in infrastructure to reduce waste and efficiently connect farmers with markets
He added that:
The biggest challenge facing GHI is to be mindful of programs or policies that pit one group against another. This is a critical time for agriculture. It's a time to be solution-oriented. Like Secretary Vilsack, we do not believe there is only one kind of agriculture. We believe that diversity and good neighbor based co-existence will lead to the greatest likelihood of accomplishing the goals of producing enough, maximizing people's access to it, and producing it by using precious resources judiciously.
We need a collective effort if we are to close the productivity gap; one that brings all of our resources to bear and partners private and public entities. We need scientists, policymakers, agribusiness, food industry, anti-hunger and environmental thought leaders to work together to critically evaluate ideas and meet the challenges. This isn't an either-or-proposition. We'll need to employ innovations at all levels to meet the challenge.
As we continue to consider the "way forward" Steiner's words should be heeded and embraced as a clarion call to action.