Increasing Public Funding for Food & Ag R&D

Do we really need to increase the level of overall public funding for food and agriculture research in the United States? The general population doesn’t seem to care or take notice, and Congress certainly doesn’t consider it a top priority. Government funding for food and agriculture research continues to be trumped by other national initiatives. In FY 2011, less than 2% of the total federal R&D budget authority was dedicated to food and agriculture R&D.

Why is this so? I think there are four primary underlying currents. First, consumers, particularly in the U.S., take our food system for granted. Consumers have more options than they could ever dream of—a food supply that is relatively inexpensive, safe to eat, and they spend a smaller percentage of their disposable income on food than ever before.

Thanks to farmers and agricultural and food scientists, consumers can go to almost any corner of the country and buy any food they desire, and it’s available in a variety of flavors, shapes, sizes, colors, and packaging. As a matter of fact, they like it so much that they overindulge. As a result, two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese. As diners, most Americans are spoiled and stuffed.

Second, people working in food and agriculture know that they need to increase the food supply 70% by 2050 to feed a more affluent global population that is growing from the current 7 billion to a projected 9+ billion people. However, many Americans simply do not understand, cannot relate, or to be brutally honest, don’t particularly care about what happens outside our borders. They also don’t understand how important science is in meeting these challenges, which include climate change and scarcer resources of water and land. When it comes to meeting these global needs, we cannot succeed unless America commits to increasing investments in research so that we have a vision for the future.

Third, consumers and Congress, in particular, are further removed from food and agriculture production than their forefathers. Thus, it’s a case of “out of sight, out of mind.” According to the latest National Agricultural Statistics Service data, less than 1% of the population is directly involved in farming. Most simply cannot relate to what it takes to put safe, high quality, and affordable food on our tables. People don’t know or understand.

Fourth, some leading members of Congress question why public funds should be spent at all. Isn’t public funding just corporate welfare? Let ag and food businesses fund food and ag research, they say.

Fortunately, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and USAID Administrator Dr. Raj Shah do get it. They have emerged as strong supporters of increased food and ag research. Unfortunately, in the FY 2011 federal budget, agricultural research was cut approximately 10% under the 2011 continuing resolution.

So, do we really need to increase public funding for food and agriculture research? Of course we do and for all the reasons we know and talk about to each other and within our own professional circles. These include sustainable food production, renewable energy sources, conservation of natural resources, protection of the environment, adapting to and mitigation of climate change, food safety, improving nutrition and reducing obesity, development of value added products, ensuring growth of the U.S. economy and maintaining our global competitiveness, and global food security for a growing population.

Public funding is a vital complement to private sector research, addressing critical needs (such as when business incentives aren’t sufficient), public oversight, and policy input. And here’s one more reason why—global food security is national security. These are very real challenges that must be addressed and resolved. Investment in research is critical to success today and tomorrow.

We have a great story to tell … a story of past successes, future challenges, and hope, if we commit to increase public investments in food and agriculture research. As Agriculture Secretary Vilsack said recently, ”The solution to global food security lies in innovation, arising from research and development.” Now is the time to reaffirm our investment in food and agriculture research. Let’s find better ways to tell our story—not to ourselves, but to the public and policy makers. We can no longer count on others to tell this compelling story.

William Fisher is Vice President of Science & Policy Initiatives at IFT ([email protected]).