Survey Shows Agriculture Gains in Sustainability

Sustainability in agriculture is a term often discussed in relation to agriculture. But not unlike many others including free-range, all natural, and GMO-free, its definition is dubious.

The U.S. Farmers Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) recently conducted a couple of different surveys to find out what sustainable means to consumers and to agriculture producers. The results were somewhat surprising.

From a purely agricultural perspective, sustainable and profitable have an intrinsic link. You can’t have one without the other. However, most consumers don’t make the obvious connection.

USFRA represents a coalition of commodity and farm groups (including the American Farm Bureau Federation), agribusinesses and partners with food and retail companies. This first-ever sustainability report sheds light on what sustainable food production means and shows practical application of how it applies to U.S. agriculture.

“This sustainability report builds on key insights from recent USFRA research that aims to identify and gain a clearer understanding of consumers’ perception of sustainability in U.S. food and agriculture,” the report states. “Through this research, we found that consumers struggle to define sustainability. Moreover, the topic is best understood by consumers when we explain the tangible ways they are improving the water, soil, air and habitat on and around our farms and ranches.”

One consistency that shows up throughout the report is that U.S. agriculture is producing more food with less resources.

News Coverage Audit

USFRA conducted a six-month long media and communications audit of U.S. news coverage from leading national, regional, trade and online publications. The audit revealed that media and consumers are unclear on how terms like “natural,” “local,” “organic,” or “conventional,” fit into the definition of sustainable food. One newspaper noted, “In a time when we argue about what it means when menus claim to be ‘local,’ when farmers would rather call their agricultural methods ‘sustainable’ than wrestle with the regulations of the word ‘organic,’ it’s getting harder to define what anything means beyond ‘this is what it means to me.’”

The perception of organic food remains the gold standard for consumers when it comes to sustainable food, the audit found. Many companies have announced new sustainability initiatives in response to consumers seeking more information about agricultural practices and where their food comes from.

Consumer Priorities

Consumers listed the following as top priorities in relation to sustainability in farming and ranching practices:

                Protecting the environment most impacted by farming practices – specifically water, soil, air and habitat – to keep the land healthy for future generations.

                Doing more with less by responsibly managing and replenishing the finite resources used to grow our food and raise our animals

                Ensuring our food nourishes all people regardless of socioeconomic status by making it accessible, affordable and healthy

                Enhancing local communities by contributing to economic growth

A majority of consumers said they consider the sustainability of how food is grown and raised when making purchasing decisions.

A majority of consumers ranked water preservation as a top priority and an essential component of sustainable farming and ranching. The study states that while 39 percent of water usage in the U.S. is for irrigation, farmers have reduced usage and increased irrigation efficiency.

Biotechnology has also increased irrigation efficiency. Biotech crops have caused a shift toward no-till practices in many parts of the country which has reduced erosion from farm fields. Buffer strips between crops and waterways also help filter nutrients and prevent nitrogen from seeping into rivers and streams.

Air quality was listed as another top priority. Technological advancements in agriculture help diesel engines run cleaner. Global positioning technology has made pesticide application more efficient and decreased the amount of chemicals used on crops. The report states that farmers and ranchers have reduced pesticide use by 18 percent.

Soil health is another important consideration. Consumers understand the importance of responsibly managing this resource. In fact, 56 percent of consumers said farmers and ranchers are already using new technologies and innovations to protect the environment. Many of these innovations directly help monitor and improve soil health, according to the report.

Many farmers have implemented a soil sampling program that reduces fertilizer application and helps define exactly which nutrients the soil lacks.

Farmer and Rancher Sustainability Survey

Among the farmer / rancher respondents to the survey, 52 percent raise both crops and livestock, 31 percent raise crops only and 18 percent raise livestock only. Overall, those surveyed agreed that consumers have little understanding of how their practices affect sustainable food production.

                81 percent agreed that consumers are growing more concerned and focused on the environmental sustainability of the products they buy.

                87 percent believe current practices met the environmentally sustainable production standards demanded by end-users like food companies, restaurants and manufacturing companies.

                74 percent believe the agriculture industry has reached a level of environmental sustainability in production of U.S. crops and livestock that should satisfy food companies.

                63 percent believe the food industry understands that U.S. agriculture has become increasingly more sustainable in the last 10 years and 68 percent don’t believe the food industry understands enough about how food is grown and raised to demand that certain practices be used by farmers and ranchers.

Care of the soil was listed among farmer respondents as the most significant positive environmental impact over the last 10 years. Advancements that helped foster that advancement were listed as new technology, improved production systems and biotechnology. However, 18 percent of respondents answered “unsure,” on this question.

When asked about the focus food processing companies are placing on environmental sustainability, a majority of respondents said those companies are out of touch and do not understand farming and ranching. Nearly 20 percent of respondents answered marketing for their production and an equal number (18 percent) said food processing companies are providing products their customers want and profit and performance of the company are reasons why food companies are focused on the topic.

About half of the farmers and ranchers participating in the survey believe conventional agriculture operations are more sustainable than organic operations. About 30 percent said they are the same and 16 percent said conventional operations are less sustainable than organic.

The survey also contains specific questions and statistics about the sustainability of individual crops and livestock including cotton, soybeans, corn, sugarbeets, beef, dairy and poultry. The survey in its entirety can be seen at http://usfarmersandranchers.org/research/