The Princes Speech: On the Future of Food

摘要

SJoR: Let's start with the current state of food production. The Prince of Wales says: "The more I talk with people about this issue, the more I realize how vague the general picture remains of the perilous state we are in..." What is your view on thecultural consensus on sustainable methods of food production? Dr. Lawrence: I think the prince is right. I agree with that position and I believe it is a direct result of the fact that there are very different voices being expressed. And, for the average person, the dominant message—from television advertising to talk show discussions to general discourse about the food system—is that we are indeed feeding the world and that never before has such efficient use been made of agricultural resources andnever before has such a small portion of one's disposable income been needed to purchase food. And then on the other side, there is a group of people who are well-informed and who say, "Yes, but the reason that the food is so cheap is that"— as the prince points out in his speech—"so many of the true costs of industrial agriculture production are externalized and are not captured in the price of the food." And some of these costs lie in the broader expenses to society for cleaning up polluted water, greenhouse gas emissions, and so forth.