Farm tour in Soledad highlights benefits of investing in agricultural development – Salinas Valley Tribune | Gonzales, Soledad, Greenfield CA

Support for Agricultural Research and Development to Benefit Global Food and Nutrition Security

SOLEDAD — U.S. Congressman Jimmy Panetta met with leaders from Braga Fresh and Farm Journal Foundation on Oct. 9 to discuss how support for agricultural research and development can benefit global food and nutrition security.

Tour of Braga Fresh’s Produce Farming Operations

The meeting included a tour of Braga Fresh’s produce farming operations in Soledad and a discussion about how support for public agricultural research and innovation can benefit farmers in the United States, as well as smallholder farmers overseas who produce the majority of food in many developing countries.

Importance of Public Support for Agricultural Development and Innovation

As Congress works to craft final appropriations bills and the next Farm Bill, discussions about public support for agricultural development and innovation are particularly important, especially as global hunger and malnutrition remain stubbornly high due to the ongoing effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic, regional conflicts and climate change.

Expanding Agricultural Research and Innovation

“From Mother Nature to mandates, markets and manpower, farmers in California’s 19th Congressional District and around the country continue to face an increasingly complex set of challenges,” said Rep. Panetta. “Expanding agricultural research and innovation is essential to ensuring American farmers lead the global marketplace and drive our efforts to feed the world. I’m proud that our home remains a leader in ag-innovation, and I will continue to push for my bipartisan federal legislation to accelerate the development of agricultural breakthroughs so that we can help our local farmers and ranchers continue to succeed.”

Visit to Braga Fresh’s On-Farm Regenerative Agriculture Trials

This month’s event included a visit to Braga Fresh’s on-farm regenerative agriculture trials, demonstrations on how the farm uses agricultural technology and a discussion on the importance of protecting soil health.

Benefits of Agricultural Research for Farmers Worldwide

“Agricultural research being conducted here in the U.S. benefits American farmers, as well as farmers in developing countries where hunger and malnutrition are unfortunately rising,” said Colby Pereira, chief operating officer at Braga Fresh and farmer ambassador with Farm Journal Foundation. “Farmers all over the world are coping with high input costs and increasingly difficult weather and market conditions. We need to be able to access the latest innovations, to ensure that we can be profitable and build sustainable livelihoods and continue to produce enough food to meet rising global demand.”

Challenges Faced by Farmers Worldwide

Agricultural innovations, such as those showcased at Braga Fresh, are particularly important today, as farmers around the world face increasing challenges. The effects of the pandemic, conflict and climate change have disproportionately hurt small-scale farmers and people living in food-deficit countries where large segments of the population rely on agriculture to make a living, according to a recent report commissioned by Farm Journal Foundation.

Link Between Global Hunger, Malnutrition, and Geopolitical Risks

Global hunger and malnutrition are linked to numerous geopolitical risks, threatening U.S. national security, Farm Journal Foundation research shows.

High Returns on Agricultural Research Investment

Agricultural research has one of the highest returns of any public investment, returning on average $20 in benefits for every $1 invested, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In spite of its benefits, public funding for agricultural research has been declining over the past two decades.

Proposed Solutions

Congress could use the Farm Bill to help reverse this trend, such as by increasing support for the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, a public-private partnership that has, to date, matched every dollar it has received from the government with $1.40 from a non-federal source, often from the private sector.

In addition, Congress could fully fund Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative aimed at improving local agriculture and food systems to reduce hunger and drive economic growth. This program not only supports international agriculture research, but also works to deploy these solutions to smallholder farmers who struggle with low productivity.

Investments in the Future

“Investments in agricultural development and research programs are investments in the future,” said Rose Barbuto, senior policy adviser at Farm Journal Foundation. “Support for farmers is critical to ensure they can continue to grow enough food to feed themselves, their families and their communities, whether here in the U.S. or abroad. Innovations developed in the U.S. can go a long way in delivering solutions to some of farmers’ biggest challenges, benefitting both American farmers and smallholder farmers in developing countries where hunger and malnutrition unfortunately remain significant challenges.”

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
• SDG 13: Climate Action
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The article addresses the issues of global food and nutrition security, agricultural research and development, and the challenges faced by farmers due to climate change and market conditions. These issues are directly connected to SDG 2, which aims to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. The article also mentions the importance of agricultural innovation and the need for partnerships, which align with SDG 9 and SDG 17 respectively. Additionally, the article highlights the impact of climate change on agriculture, linking it to SDG 13.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 2.3: By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists, and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets, and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment.
• SDG 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
• SDG 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending.
• SDG 17.6: Enhance North-South, South-South, and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology, and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, particularly at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism.

Based on the article’s content, the specific targets that can be identified are related to increasing agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers (SDG 2.3), implementing resilient agricultural practices and improving land and soil quality (SDG 2.4), enhancing scientific research and innovation (SDG 9.5), and promoting international cooperation and knowledge sharing (SDG 17.6).

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator for SDG 2.3: Agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers
• Indicator for SDG 2.4: Adoption of resilient agricultural practices and improvement in land and soil quality
• Indicator for SDG 9.5: Research and development spending and number of research and development workers
• Indicator for SDG 17.6: Level of international cooperation and knowledge sharing in science, technology, and innovation

The article does not explicitly mention specific indicators. However, progress towards the identified targets can be measured using indicators such as agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers (SDG 2.3), adoption of resilient agricultural practices and improvement in land and soil quality (SDG 2.4), research and development spending and number of research and development workers (SDG 9.5), and the level of international cooperation and knowledge sharing in science, technology, and innovation (SDG 17.6).

4. Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: salinasvalleytribune.com