Britain's Prince Charles concluded his three-day visit to the United States on the 4th.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11316/
He called on governments to support organic farming, advocated “sustainable” food production methods, met with U.S. President Barack Obama, and praised “First Lady” Michelle for her efforts to combat childhood obesity.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11316/
■ Advocating “Sustainability”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11316/
On the 4th, Charles was invited to Georgetown University in Washington to attend the “Future of Food” conference and deliver a keynote speech. He first joked, “Compared with the embarrassing speech I made at the wedding banquet of my eldest son William, this is undoubtedly a change.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11316/
Charles shared his views on agriculture and food with about 700 attendees. He believed that unsustainable agricultural production models excessively consume natural resources and push the world toward a food crisis. “In some cases, we overdraw nature's life-support systems to the point where they cannot bear our demands.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11316/
Charles said that mechanized agricultural production relies heavily on fossil fuels, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics, and other chemical agents, damaging soil and water sources, exacerbating climate change, producing unhealthy food, and squeezing the living space of local small-scale farmers.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11316/
“This is a complex and interconnected system. We cannot simply choose a single goal such as maximizing output without (considering) ensuring that the system's output yields benefits that meet other social needs.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11316/
Charles said the world faces a major challenge: how to meet the food needs of billions of people without damaging the environment. Citing United Nations report data, he said that by 2050, global demand for food will increase by 70%. “We must find ways to address the food supply for the 220,000 people added to the global population every day... We do not have much room for choice. To take bold steps, we must develop more sustainable food production methods.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11316/
■ Supporting Organic文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11316/
Charles strongly supported organic farming and called on governments to redirect subsidies for modern mechanized agriculture to organic farming, advocating the cultivation and promotion of organic food.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11316/
Charles has promoted organic farming on some farms in his personal estate, making him a practitioner of this approach.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11316/
He believed that organic farming is at a “disadvantage” in the market. Government support for mechanized agriculture, including direct forms such as subsidies and not requiring producers to bear “external costs” such as dealing with air and water pollution, makes ordinary food sold on the market much cheaper than organic food and affects the promotion of organic farming. For example, in U.S. and European markets, locally produced organic food accounts for only 2% to 3% of total sales.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11316/
Charles asked, “If public finances were redirected so that sustainable, less polluting, and more publicly beneficial agricultural production methods received special subsidies, would that bring benefits?”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11316/
On the contrary, the costs of pollution control and health responses brought by current practices are shifted to other sectors and ignored by people. “The key is to ensure that the production of healthy food is rewarded and its price is more acceptable.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11316/