Britain's Prince Charles concluded a three-day visit to the United States on the 4th.บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11316/
He called on governments to support organic agriculture, advocated “sustainable” food production methods, met with US President Barack Obama, and praised “First Lady” Michelle for her efforts to address childhood obesity.บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11316/
■ Advocating “Sustainability”บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11316/
On the 4th, Charles was invited to attend the “Future of Food” conference at Georgetown University in Washington and delivered a keynote speech. He first joked, “Compared with the embarrassing speech I gave at my eldest son William's wedding banquet, this is undoubtedly a change.”บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11316/
Charles shared his views on agriculture and food with about 700 attendees. He believed that unsustainable agricultural production models overconsume natural resources and are leading the world toward a food crisis. “In some cases, we are overdrawing nature's life support systems to the point where they cannot bear our demands.”บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/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.บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/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 meets society's other needs.”บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11316/
Charles said the world faces a major challenge: how to meet the food needs of billions of people without damaging the environment. Citing UN report data, he said that by 2050, global demand for food will increase by 70%. “We must find ways to feed the 220,000 people added to the global population every day... We do not have much room for choice. To take brave steps, we must develop more sustainable food production methods.”บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11316/
■ Supporting OrganicบทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11316/
Charles strongly supports organic agriculture and called on governments to shift subsidies from modern mechanized agriculture to organic agriculture, advocating the cultivation and promotion of organic food.บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11316/
Charles promotes organic agriculture on some farms in his personal estate and can be described as a practitioner of this approach.บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11316/
He believes that organic agriculture 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 agriculture. For example, in US and European markets, locally produced organic food accounts for only 2% to 3% of total sales.บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11316/
Charles asked: “If public funds were redirected so that sustainable, less polluting, and more publicly beneficial agricultural production methods received special subsidies, would that bring benefits?”บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11316/
On the contrary, the costs of pollution treatment and health responses brought by current practices are passed on 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.”บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11316/