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DATE:	January 27, 2010
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Ag research vital to reach next “Green Revolution,” expert says

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A tighter future agricultural supply-demand balance, rising real food prices and the increasing role of agricultural commodities in meeting energy needs are all challenges emphasized during a presentation to American Seed Trade Association’s conference attendees Jan. 25 in Las Vegas, Nev.
Dr. Gale Buchanan, dean and director emeritus for the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, called attention to the finite resources available for production agriculture such as land, water, petroleum and phosphorus. The growing population, expectations for better living and the addition of animal protein to the diet are just a few things that are the impetus for change. One billion people in poor countries rarely get enough to eat, he pointed out.
“The future success of agriculture depends on production improvements,” said Buchanan who presented an issue paper on behalf of the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) at ASTA’s 49th annual Vegetable and Flower Seed Conference. “We’ve got to take what we’ve got and make it better. Science drives the seed business. Science will change the seed business; to be successful in business you have to change with the times.”
The paper “Agricultural Productivity Strategies for the Future: Addressing U.S. and Global Challenges” was released Jan. 19 by CAST and is an update to the first paper published by CAST in 1973, written by Dr. Norman Borlaug. This paper, one of the last papers Borlaug contributed to, is available online at http://www.cast-science.org.
“It’s become increasingly clear to me that we are not investing in the research needed to take the United States to the next plateau,” Buchanan said. “This complacency is unwarranted given the complex issues in front of us.”
As petroleum becomes more limited, it will become more expensive, Buchanan said. Agricultural output will always be a part of the energy picture, which is a new paradigm for us, he said.
“The solutions or means of addressing these challenges must come from increased productivity, because there is not a lot of available land to bring into production,” Buchanan explained.
Buchanan discussed the global economy and explained how everything is connected and nothing is isolated — from policies and the environment, to infrastructure and supply and demand. Every country must seek to optimize its infrastructure to improve production.
“There must be a greater commitment for sustained support of research,” Buchanan said. “We need to work with others around the world on these issues critical to our sustainability.”
This does not just include agronomy, botany and plant pathology or animal science, but will be a more holistic approach, Buchanan explained. It needs to be a multidisciplinary approach and include emerging sciences such as nanotechnology.
“Genetics will still be important,” he said. “Biotechnology and the production of genetically modified organisms will play a key role in food production.”
Buchanan highlighted a few potential solutions including: improvements in the photosynthesis of plants; enabling non-legume plants to fix nitrogen; improving pest resistance of plants; and developing more nutrient efficient plants.
“These are unique complex issues and we must be committed to solving these problems by investing in research and science that will bring success 30 and 40 years down the road,” Buchanan said. “The technology we are benefiting from today was developed three and four decades ago. We need to think about sustainability for future generations.”
Buchanan believes that any country that doesn’t take the initiative and invest in agricultural research would be remiss.
“All countries need to invest in ag research, particularly the ones in great need,” he said. Countries such as those in Sub-Saharan Africa may not be able to produce enough food, but could provide biomass for energy and contribute to the global economy, Buchanan explained.
“Understanding these challenges is not just on the shoulders of the President or Congress or state legislators, but on the public in general. Policymakers listen to the public and that’s why it’s important for the public to begin to understand these dynamic relationships.”
For more information on the issue paper, visit the CAST Web site at http://www.cast-science.org/. CAST was founded in 1972 to better communicate the science behind food and agricultural issues.
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Writer: Julie Douglas, 703-837-8140, jdouglas@amseed.org.

Source: Gale Buchanan, 229-386-7274, galeb@uga.edu.

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Founded in 1883, the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), located in Alexandria, Va., is one of the oldest trade organizations in the United States. Its membership consists of about 750 companies involved in seed production and distribution, plant breeding, and related industries in North America. As an authority on plant germplasm, ASTA advocates science and policy issues of industry importance. Its mission is to enhance the development and free movement of quality seed worldwide.