Report Admits that Farming Should Focus on Sustainability

An advisory panel recently issued a report suggesting that American farmers are producing more food than ever before. And while that's good news from a food security perspective, the study also says that too little focus is placed on the consequences of that increased production, such as overuse of resources, and air and water pollution. In that very understated federal sort of way, this is a big victory for sustainable food.

The National Academies' National Research Council report found that U.S. farmers are under increasing pressure from a variety of competing demands — such as to increase crop production, reduce the use of scarce land and water resources, fulfill consumer demands for cheap food, and pay fair wages — all while trying to make a living. "To evolve farming systems that meet all of these demands," the authors of the report triumphantly declare, "national agricultural policy, research programs, and food markets need to shift away from emphasizing low costs and high production exclusively and develop a more holistic perspective of how farms provide benefits to society."

Julia Kornegay, chair of the committee that wrote the report, confirms, "If farmers are going to meet future demands, the U.S. agriculture system has to evolve to become sustainable and think broadly — past the bottom line of producing the most possible."

To do this, the report recommends two parallel efforts. The first is an incremental approach to accelerate the progress that has already been made toward greater sustainability. But the authors caution this must be done "without negatively impacting environmental resources or ignoring broad social and economic concerns such as farm income, the quality of life for farmers and farm workers, and animal welfare."

The second is a transformative approach that calls for a holistic view of agriculture and increased research from USDA and state universities, along with policy changes. The report also suggests that consumers can, and do, play a large part in this by supporting markets that prioritize how food is grown or raised.

One advisory report isn't going to change agriculture overnight. But it is yet another valuable tool in the push for greater sustainability and responsibility toward our farmers, our food system, and our planet. And as the report makes clear, the choices we as individual consumers make are important and meaningful. It's empowering to know that people can help push the sustainable food movement forward just by being selective about what we put in our shopping carts.

Photo credit: GenBug