Guiding Principles for a Sustainable Future for U.S. agriculture.
Economic Viability
The broad definition of sustainability includes environmental, social and economic considerations, but any standard for sustainable agriculture must first and foremost be economically viable for the producer. No matter how environmentally conscious or socially aware a standard is, if it only adds production costs it is doomed to failure.
Flexible Science-Based Metrics
In a world where increasing input prices, shrinking water tables, climate change and a growing world population pose serious risks to food production we must be flexible in our approach to confronting these challenges. Setting goals for the efficient use of natural resources needs to be based on science and reason and must be conscious of the economic impact on producers, retailers and consumers.
A one size fits all standard is not appropriate. What may work in California may not work in Texas and what works in Illinois may not work in Florida. The standard must account for regional and local differences and make accommodations for individual solutions to the challenges we face.
The standard must be focused on delivering results that producers can measure rather than on processes. It should take into account the most important issues that producers face and focus on them. It should measure what matters.
The Standard Must be Technology Neutral
If we are truly concerned about the sustainability of our industry we must take a pragmatic look at our challenges and address them using every available option. For some this may be strict adherence to the National Organic Program. For others, it may be the use of precision agriculture, conventional agrochemistry and/or biotechnology. To deny any group the use of practices that are shown to increase sustainability would be a great disservice to this effort and to U.S. producers. Our goal should not be to further segregate the food system into smaller niche markets, but to find practical solutions that make agriculture more sustainable for the broad majority of producers by focusing on results, allowing for innovation and producer choice.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
Welcome Readers
Greetings,
First thing is first. My name is Russell Williams and I am a 30 year old advocate for agriculture, food and the American farmer. For the past couple of months I have been contemplating setting up a blog to combat what I see as a travesty in the making. There is a movement taking shape today that if left to flourish, will redefine agriculture to the detriment of us all. The movement has many names, but the most prominent is the Real Food Movement.
Now, many of you may have never heard the phrase Real Food, but I would wager that most of you have heard of its constituents.
The Real Food Movement promotes sustainable, seasonal and locally grown organic food consumption. Now you may be asking, "Whats wrong with that?". On the surface I would respond by saying nothing. However, the glamor and glitz and all the window dressing placed on the Real Food Movement is designed specifically to give the impression of a Utopian food system that is more secure, healthy, environmentally friendly and socially conscious than the current system.
The truth is, the Real Food Movement is a dangerous social experiment masquerading as a cure for obesity, malnutrition, food insecurity and environmental degradation. I realize that I am entering dangerous territory here. Real Food advocates are ardent believers in this scheme and will fight back viciously to protect the illusion they are attempting to create.
This blog is designed for one purpose only, to expose the deeper agenda of the Real Food Movement. An agenda that will push our food system to the brink of collapse in order to enact sweeping social change. Though this first post provides little evidence of my claims I promise over the coming weeks and months to provide an alternate scenario that the Real Food Movement either fails to recognize or consciously suppresses.
First thing is first. My name is Russell Williams and I am a 30 year old advocate for agriculture, food and the American farmer. For the past couple of months I have been contemplating setting up a blog to combat what I see as a travesty in the making. There is a movement taking shape today that if left to flourish, will redefine agriculture to the detriment of us all. The movement has many names, but the most prominent is the Real Food Movement.
Now, many of you may have never heard the phrase Real Food, but I would wager that most of you have heard of its constituents.
The Real Food Movement promotes sustainable, seasonal and locally grown organic food consumption. Now you may be asking, "Whats wrong with that?". On the surface I would respond by saying nothing. However, the glamor and glitz and all the window dressing placed on the Real Food Movement is designed specifically to give the impression of a Utopian food system that is more secure, healthy, environmentally friendly and socially conscious than the current system.
The truth is, the Real Food Movement is a dangerous social experiment masquerading as a cure for obesity, malnutrition, food insecurity and environmental degradation. I realize that I am entering dangerous territory here. Real Food advocates are ardent believers in this scheme and will fight back viciously to protect the illusion they are attempting to create.
This blog is designed for one purpose only, to expose the deeper agenda of the Real Food Movement. An agenda that will push our food system to the brink of collapse in order to enact sweeping social change. Though this first post provides little evidence of my claims I promise over the coming weeks and months to provide an alternate scenario that the Real Food Movement either fails to recognize or consciously suppresses.
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