S276: Rural Restructuring: Causes and Consequences of Globalized Agricultural and Natural Resource Systems
Annual/Termination Reports (SAES-422): [07/25/2003]
Date of Annual Report: 07/25/2003
Report Information:
Participants:
- Albrecht, Don E., Texas A & M
- Connor Bailey, Auburn
- Larry Burmeister, U. of Kentucky
- Vivian Carro-Figueeroa
- Godfrey Ejimakor, North Carolina A&T
- Craig Harris, Michigan State
- Linda Labao, Ohio State
- Edward McLean, Clemson Univ.
- Marlene Lee, U. of Wisconsin
- Joe Molnar, Auburn U.
- George Ohlendorff, Louisiana State U.,
- Brenda Vander Mey, Clemson U.
- Ronald C. Wimberly, North Carolina State U.
Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting:
Early meetings of the S-276 team focused on what variables or factors were most important, practically and theoretically, to focus on in order to ultimately generate knowledge useful for farm operators, agribusiness, food industries, consumers, and policy and decision makers. The foci was at two levels: a sweeping national perspective and specific state/regional analysis. Subsequent meetings were used to finalize the survey instrument for the nation-wide survey, and to share findings from efforts in one's own state. The final meeting was used to overview some of the key findings of the nation-wide survey, and to articulate a shared policy regarding data use and publications.
Accomplishments:
There have been a number of accomplishments made possible by this project. At the top of the list goes the completion of a nation-wide survey about American's attitudes about globalization, food, farming, and community. These data are just now really being mined and put into the public arena. These findings clearly show a need for a continued strong role in the states' land grants vis-a-vis public perceptions of food and agriculture, and perceptions and concerns about food safety and security. To wit:7 People have a lot of uncertainty about the safety of GM foods and foodstuffs, for instance. This clearly speaks to the land grants' role as food science researchers and public educators. 7 The respondents who participated post 9/11 show a marked increase in concern that terrorist attacks in the US will be conducted through hits on the US food supply. 7 Respondents prefer meat from livestock grown in the United States. 7 Most respondents are willing to pay more for foods that are grown locally (71%). 7 Other findings of note include: farmers are most trusted about knowledge regarding food safety, with university professors coming in second in level of trust as sources of knowledge. Elected officials, celebrities, and business executives do not garner much support as trusted sources of knowledge in this area. 7 And, good news for USDA; 82% of respondents trust the USDA for knowledge about food safety, while 75% trust the FDA, 72% trust the EPA, and only 13% trust foreign governments.
At the level of the various states represented in this project, new knowledge, useful knowledge, has been generated, using reliable social science methods, that already have reached the eyes and ears of agricultural producers, consumers, concerned citizens and policy makers. The CAFO research in Kentucky brought to light the reasons for support for and opposition to deregulation of agriculture, and why support is still strong for regulatory regimes. The South Carolina research has helped hone an appreciation for the changing face of the South, and myriad issues being confronted due to globalization, encroachment, and sprawl. In addition, a series of surveys conducted in that state have helped more clearly delineate what consumers will and will not support/tolerate viz agricultural production in the state. The continued work on The Black Belt is bringing policy makers and community leaders together in various states, trying to get a handle on what is happening especially in their more rural, minority-heavy counties, and what changes must be put in place to enhance the quality of ife and aim for a more sustainable future. The Community Supported Agriculture work done by Betty Wells in Iowa is surely a model for other states to follow as they also articulate CSA programs and policies in their respective jurisdictions. Likewise, the practical research conducted by this team's members in their states have yielded results that assist in many areas of agriculture, community decision making, and adaptation to continuous social, economic, demographic, and geopolitical changes.
Impact Statements:
- Documentation of social and economic changes within agricultural and natural resource systems and their relationship to globalization processes.
- Identification of the mechanisms by which globalization processes in agricultural and natural resource systems affect farms, organizations, families, communities, and society.
- Assessment of the present and prospective consequences of agricultural restructuring on farms, families, communities and society.
- Assessment of the ways federal, stat
- e, and local policies amplify or mitigate the consequences of rural restructuring and globalization.
- Generation of nation-wide and state level practical knowledge regarding citizens' perspectives on food, farming, community and globalization that has immediate and long-term use value for farm operators, agribusiness in general, community leaders, and policy makers.