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A few weeks ago, the Financial Times published a piece of in-depth reporting entitled “The global power of Big Agriculture’s lobbying.” It’s behind a paywall, but well worth a read if you have access.
“In the US, agricultural trade associations are “enormously powerful”, says Ben Lilliston, director of rural strategies and climate change at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. “Our farm policy is very much their policy.””
“[The agriculture sector’s] spending on US lobbying rose from $145mn in 2019 to $177mn last year, more than the total big oil and gas spent, according to an analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).”
Operating as we do in Controlled Environment Agriculture, one might take this as a positive trend for us and our customers.
But in reality, the greatest concentration of wealth that enables and benefits from this lobbying is not in climate-minded, sustainable operations like ours and our customers, but in multi-national conglomerates that use their influence to secure government subsidies and prevent regulations that might challenge traditional agriculture’s near-monopoly on food production.
“Food systems are responsible for between 21 and 37 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions depending on what is included, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Over half of those emissions come from animal faming alone.
“Yet agriculture remains one of the last sectors in developed countries still to face binding limits on its carbon emissions. It is one of the few industries not covered in the EU’s emissions trading system, although proposals are under discussion.”
The article goes in-depth, considering international examples of the ways in which Big Ag’s interests are intertwined with global policies concerning regulation (or lack thereof) and food production.
There is no doubt that social investment in food systems is crucial, but it is equally crucial that such policies and programs be aimed at developing the food systems of the future, not just preserving those of the past.
In the US, in recent years, there have been increasing opportunities for dialogue and support available to CEA growers. It’s a positive sign, but not enough yet.
The good news is, despite the challenges, CEA growing can still be sustainable economically, not just ecologically. We face a decades-long challenge to expand the role of hydroponic crop production and CEA. But now is a great time to get started.
AmHydro has been leading in this space for four decades, and continues to drive responsible and sustainable innovation. With customers in over 100 countries, we’re committed to a vision of feeding a hungry planet while stewarding our precious natural resources.
Thank you for being a part of this movement too.
