“The past 50 years have been the most productive period in global agricultural history, leading to the greatest reduction in hunger the world has ever seen. The Green Revolution, as this period came to be known in the developing world, has kept more than one billion people from hunger, starvation, and even death.” ~ Dr. Norman Borlaug and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter

Nobel Peace Prize laureates Borlaug and Carter praised the progress made by agricultural science in alleviating world hunger in their October Wall Street Journal op-ed article. They point to the six billion gross tons of food currently produced each year by the world’s farmers – a feat that’s taken around 10,000 years. They predict that we’ll need increase this amount by at least 50% to nine billion tons, most likely on a shrinking land base.

Borlaug and Carter go on to warn “agricultural science is increasingly under attack by groups and individuals who, for political rather than scientific reasons, are campaigning to limit advances, especially in new fields such as genetic modification (GM) through biotechnology.”

How will agriculture continue to feed the world if technological advances are limited? If you are concerned about answering the need for food, it’s time for you to respond attacks against modern ag production. In my strategic agricultural advocacy work, I continue to see these mistakes made by our industry.

Not responding to the activist accusations. Opinion Research shows that nearly two-thirds of people consider an industry guilty when no response is given. Why let PETA and Sierra Club mar our reputation? The best spokespeople for agriculture are those who are directly involved!

Waiting too long to explain the reality of farming today. Why do many city dwellers have the romanticized view of how their food is produced and negative image of “mega-farms”?

Allowing groups outside our industry to “divide and conquer.” Remember the days when there weren’t large vs. small, organic vs. conventional? Creating fractions fighting against each is a strategy successfully employed by the activists. See last issue’s “Locking Elbows” column.

Citing only research and statistics when trying to connect with consumers.
Yes – scientific based information is critical, but we also have to learn to connect on an emotional level. A sociology study from Iowa State University proved that “communicating only facts to consumers is a recipe for failure.” We have to learn to speak the same language as the person on “the other side” of the dinner plate.

Considering ag advocacy as public relations “fluff.” Ron Bailey, in The Law of Fear Mongering, pointed out that it costs $10 to refute every $1 invested by the fear mongerers. The reality of today’s agrifood business is that we are seeing bottom line impact from the misinformation about our industry, an impact that’s likely to increase significantly if we don’t make some changes.

It’s time to overcome some of these mistakes if we want to continue agriculture’s ability to feed the world. Speaking out is one of the best ways to do that! You’ll find helpful resources, such as the article from Borlaug and Carter, available here.