Duncan Allison, PSPA president, summarizes a recent speech.
In what ways can agriculture help advance peace and well-being around the world? This was the question addressed by Under Secretary of Agriculture Michael Scuse (past member of our Society) at a special meeting at the Widener University Law School in Wilmington, DE on January 20th. “Agriculture touches every single life every single day” since we all depend on food to survive wherever we live. In the US only 2% of the population are farmers yet every one out of every 12 jobs is connected with agriculture. We are acknowledged to have the most advanced agricultural industry in the world and countries are increasingly relying on our ag exports valued at $152.5 billion in 2014 – up 41% since 2010.
Our highly developed infrastructure and progressive farmers have enabled us to produce food that on average costs only 6.5% of our income. We can be justly proud of our achievements but clearly the challenge of meeting the increased need for food and climate change will require ongoing investment in research and sustaining our farmland and farmers. We have a mixture of farms of every size and all are contributing to our vibrant farm economy. (It is not helpful for different groups to be bashing and fighting the other side.)
In many countries 50-75% of the population is directly involved in agriculture. Yet 800 million suffer chronic huger and a further 800 million go to bed hungry every night. Food production must increase at least 60% for us to meet the 9+ billion forecast for 2050. Food insecurity is known as being a major cause of instability and children are not able to learn if they are hungry. There will be greater conflict if there is greater food insecurity.
The US has an obligation to ensure that everyone gets sufficient food, not just in the US. Consequently the USDA is placing significant emphasis on helping countries develop their own agriculture so they can feed their people and build up their economies. Several programs allow local agriculturists to spend some time in the US so they can acquire our institutional knowledge for use at home such as understanding the importance of local research, extension and the need for a functional infrastructure for marketing and supplying critical inputs.USDA staff are also working in countries on various development projects
Michael Scuse is the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services and is the third-ranking official with responsibility for the Farm Service Agency with its 2,100 offices around the US, the Risk Management Agency which handles the federal crop insurance programs which now provide the most important safety net for farmers and the Foreign Service Agency with its offices and officers in very many countries around the world. 14,000 people work in these three agencies.