Boosting Nature Positive Agricultural Solutions: U.S. Farmer, Rancher, Grower Perspectives
As documented in the fourth annual Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC 2020), the number of people across the globe that are suffering from hunger and malnutrition is rising. In response to these and other challenges, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will convene a Food Systems Summit (FSS) this fall in New York to raise awareness and secure global commitments for actions that transform food systems to resolve hunger and reduce diet-related disease. Guterres is calling for collective action to radically change the way our food is produced, processed and consumed. This will be the first global food summit in 25 years, and stakeholders across the globe are weighing in with their suggestions for changes to our food systems.
Of critical importance in any discussion about the future of food systems are the voices of farmers and ranchers – the producers who make the investments, incur the risks and do the real work to grow the food that the world needs. To help ensure that farmer and rancher experiences, insight and recommendations are elevated in these discussions, Solutions from the Land and a group of collaborating agricultural organizations held a virtual Food Systems Summit Dialogue.
Objective
Our objective for the dialogue was to engage a cross section of farmers and ranchers in a discussion about topics being considered under FSS Action Track 3: Boost Nature Positive Production at Sufficient Scale. While food and agriculture may differ by region and locale, U.S. producers face challenges relating to economic, environment, and social sustainability and are equally invested in the Summit vision and objectives. There is no one size fits all in agriculture. Each farm, notwithstanding its size, type or production style, plays a role – and each is interconnected through our food systems.
