The Levers of Change

Conventional farming (including some types of organic farming such as mono-cropping) and the seafood industry are environmentally damaging to the point of crisis. In order to continue producing healthy food for future generations, agricultural producers must use methods that foster soil fertility, fresh water, and natural defenses of crops against disease, pests, weather, and so forth. In order to even have a seafood supply through the next century, fisheries must use methods that restore the ecological balance in the oceans so that marine life can thrive.

Sustainable farming practices also have the potential to greatly reduce fossil fuel dependence. The USDA estimates that making our farmland’s irrigation systems just 10% more efficient would annually save 80 million gallons of gasoline spent on pumping and applying water. Similarly, reducing repetitive fertilizer application on the 250 million acres of major cropland in the US would save approximately $1 billion worth of petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides (not to mention prevent soil and water pollution). These kinds of dramatic reductions can be achieved through management-intensive, restorative farming practices.*
Related Themes: Bio-Chemicals | Organics | Precision Ag | More

Prevalent food processing and packing operations create major risks not only for the environment, but for industry workers as well. Approximately 23% percent of the energy used in our food system is during processing and packaging. In the meat industry, five corporations control 80% of beef and 60% of pork processing.* All of this energy consumption and consolidation translates to a large carbon footprint, food safety issues, diminished worker safety, and degraded local economies. Smaller, sustainable producers, especially meat ranchers and fisherman, also suffer from a lack of processing infrastructure. Food processors are starting to implement a range of initiatives for natural resources management, and new processing and packing facilities are sprouting up to support regional food systems.
Related Themes: Incubator Kitchens | Meat Processing | More

Food travels on average 1500–2500 miles to get to your plate, which not only degrades the quality and taste, but generates significant waste and pollution. Shipping foods across the country or around the world requires immense amounts of packaging, refrigeration, and fossil fuels. We can’t reduce the volume of food we need to transport, but we can reduce the distances, and we need to find ways to optimize truck loads, minimize one-way hauling, use less fossil fuels, and overall reduce our carbon footprint.
Related Themes: Alternative Fuels | Backhauling | Food Hubs | More

Eating “as local as possible” is a cornerstone of sustainable food systems. When food does not need to travel as far, we access fresher, more nutrient-rich foods with a smaller carbon footprint. We help our regional economies thrive by supporting local, predominately family farm businesses. And, we maintain healthy ecosystems, since producers who live on their land typically use far fewer toxins in pesticides and fertilizers. Unfortunately, over the past century, we have lost much of the infrastructure that used to support regional food processing and distribution. Opportunities abound to reform the supply chain to create value along the vertical, forming “value chains”. Ultimately, we need increased transparency and increased economic viability for farms, with more of each sales dollar going back to the producers to support themselves and pay their workers fairly.

Producers and fishermen work long hours, making it difficult to stay abreast of the latest tools, technologies, and research that are available to run their businesses better and more efficiently, profitably and sustainably. For many years, State and Cooperative Extension agencies have administered agricultural technical assistance programs, but there is an opportunity for other organizations and businesses to help provide resources and technologies to help them succeed.
Related Themes: Farm Entrepreneurial Prog | Online Tools | More

Ideal Outcomes

Half of the current farmers in the U.S. are likely to retire in the next decade*, and there aren’t enough youth entering the industry to take the reins. Farming is already extremely hard work, and with fewer people in rural areas to learn the trade, and with corporate consolidation of farms making it more difficult for family farms to compete in the marketplace, we need to focus on convincing young people to get into the industry, and supporting them once they do.
Related Themes: Domestic Fair Trade | Farm Apprenticeships | More

Healthy food for our growing population requires healthy soil and farmland that remains for food production, not development. The amount of arable, productive land is decreasing at alarming rates, and the majority of today’s farm owners don’t have access to the capital to reinvest in their permanent cropland. As a result, fertile land is being sold to developers and large agribusinesses that use environmentally degrading practices. Agricultural land trusts are working to preserve healthy farmland, and as land values continue to rise, private investment in farmland by conscientious individuals has become another promising opportunity.
Related Themes: Ag Land Trusts | Farm Entrepreneur Prog | More

Agriculture is one of the largest consumers of fresh water for irrigation and animals and one of the largest polluters of fresh water from chemical runoff into groundwater sources (the latter addressed by Restorative Production Methods).* A majority of state water managers see an imminent water shortage on the horizon, which has led to different strategies for measuring and optimizing water allocation and use, and remote sensing of groundwater levels and status in the fields. Historically, much of the effort has been focused on policy change, but there are opportunities for market-based solutions for municipalities and farmers as well.
Related Themes: Groundwater Mgmt | Irrigation | Precision Ag | More

Urban agriculture has many forms and locations: backyards, rooftops, balconies, vacant lots, parks, roadsides, and urban fringe; but, there is controversy whether food production in urban areas makes sense. There is agreement, however, that it does make sense if it doesn’t use land that is better suited for other uses, and its purpose is either to provide sustenance and create jobs in ‘food deserts’ or to educate communities about greater food issues.
Related Themes: Aqua/Hydroponics | Educational Agriculture | More

This single piece of legislation dictates where approximately $300 billion of taxpayers’ dollars go in the food industry, and it urgently needs adjusting. Many concur that it contributes to our prevalent unhealthy food supply, environmentally damaging production methods, and extreme inequities in the distribution of food and wealth. If we revise this complicated omnibus bill, we can shift where the $300 billion is allocated, and make huge leaps forward in the reduction of obesity and diabetes, the conservation of natural resources, and the overall improvement of public health, the environment, and socio-economic issues in the food supply chain.
Related Information: Farm Bill 101 + Money Flow