US Agricultural Science Is Being Picked Apart

Scientists that have been shuttered up by federal spending cuts are now working as volunteers in their fields, including food science. 

Although many non-governmental organisations have stopped speaking about the critical value of soil security in climate change, it is nonetheless crucial to the integrity of food supply and remains one of the three pillars of defending plants and livestock for healthy and well habitation that require robust and vibrant air, soil and water qualities. 

The quality of soil is indeed absolutely deteriorating as a result of climate-change forces as it depletes from pathogens and erratic weather for example. 

It is certainly a race in time to defend and to protect soil quality with improved and more resilient varieties as well as creating improved farming practices with this is mind, according to a recent NYTimesApp.

These endeavours are under increasing threats due to funding cuts. With the recent dissolution of USAID alone, more than USD 150 million meant for universities, research, etc. had been cancelled along with other programs.

This leaves participating scientists to scuttle or scale back programs meant to improve the quality of higher yielding soil through, e..g., the Feed for Future program that ensured high quality food stuffs in a global agriculture for the near to long term.    

Erroneously the US Administration has failed ridiculously. Due to its undying isolationism and inept, irresponsible and grievous failure to lead the liberal global economic and political order, it is failing to solve problems of our day together with the larger world order.

The administration furthermore has failed to see the shared benefits to societies globally in improving soil quality and yield for better foodstuffs and new markets that we may export to and import from creating more wealth for everyone and not just the one lining his pockets.

Scientists reeling from cuts and layoffs, are bewildered that food security driven by sound science to increase significantly ability, strength and resilience of soils, plants and even livestock to perform well in changing climate is not seen as critical to national security and the national interest as well as global security.

The funding cuts have forced professionals in the field to look inward at national economy and less at global economy.

But the issues are transcending not only national interests but also global security and humanity that is affecting everyone detrimentally in various ways, including grocery prices here at home and abroad.

The World Bank has concluded that agricultural productivity is the number-one driver of eliminating poverty in the world today. 

Recent comprehensive research in the field demonstrates that for each dollar invested in agricultural science, we experienced a return of ten times or USD 10 per dollar over approximately the last fifty years. 

China, is now the world’s leading funder in agricultural science spending twice as much as the US does on agricultural science.

Meanwhile, since 2015 funds in the area of international agricultural science have been cut by a third. While the House has relatively recently passed only a USD 175 million spending bill in the field that awaits Senate approval. 

Cutting spending now strongly suggests that the quality of resilience, livelihood of international agricultural science and development will be at risk in the 2030s and 2040s.

Not laying the urgent groundwork for food security now will cause significantly increased prices for at-risk and under threat foodstuffs, diseased crops and livestock inter alia in the not too distant future.