|
|
          |
 |
Executive
Director of the Council on Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics before
the National Research Council Public Workshop Good Afternoon. I am Tamara Wagester, the Executive
Director for the Council on Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics
(C-FARE). C-FARE is a non-profit, non-partisan organization and one of our
primary goals is to educate policy makers about the actual and potential
contributions of applied economics research as it relates to food,
agriculture, and natural resources policy.
We also actively work to represent the agricultural economics
profession in matters of science policy, priority setting, and budget
determination at the federal level, and to collaborate with other
agricultural sciences and government agencies in these activities. C-FARE
carries on these activities through the leadership of our governing Board,
advisory participation by government agency members, and significant
representation from the university agricultural economics department
heads. Thank you for the
opportunity to speak to you today about the key research priorities for
the 21st century and how they will ensure growth in
agricultural production and protection of natural resources in a socially,
economically, and ecologically sustainable system.
First I would like to
point out, that as applied economists, many of the data sources provided
through the Research, Education and Economics (REE) mission are critical
to the success of our research. A
perfect example is the ARMS Survey, which is conducted by the National
Agricultural Statistics Service. Without
these data describing the status of U.S. farms and ranches, it would be
difficult to evaluate their financial status, use of management practices,
and how they have and may be impacted by farm programs.
ERS Administrator Dr. Susan Offutt recently used these data at the
C-FARE Symposium on the 2002 Farm Bill to emphasis how “one size
doesn’t fit all,” referring to the diversity of agricultural
producers. The Council on Food,
Agricultural and Resource Economics highly values the merit and necessity
of the programs under the REE mission areas.
The research opportunities provided through these programs, both in
the home and in the field, are of high quality and very respected.
Without opportunities such as those provided through the NRI, the
Fund for Rural America and the Initiative for Future Agricultural and Food
Systems, as well as other programs, our scientists would not have been as
successful at understanding the impacts of proposed agricultural policies
and environmental regulations over the past several decades. C-FARE strongly
encourages the continuation and expansion of USDA’s complementary
portfolio of research programs, which include competitive and formula
funding. We also believe
there is a definite payoff when scientists work together in a
collaborative manner. Multi-disciplinary
research projects address the problem from a total systems perspective,
expand the focus through the involvement of more experts, and allow the
development of more comprehensive analysis and feasible solutions.
Land grant universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have long
combined research, extension, education and public outreach to spur the
development of creative solutions. Such
partnerships are now more vital than ever in a time of highly visible
agricultural and environmental issues, tighter budgets and pressure for
more accountability. C-FARE found at our 1999
annual symposium entitled, “Partnering in Agricultural Research and
Education” that more
effective partnering will provide high net payoffs to stakeholders and
others involved in agricultural research and education. Administrators should continue to remove impediments to
partnering and explore innovative incentive systems to encourage greater
participation in productive partnerships for research and education; however,
this should not come about at the risk of high-quality discipline-oriented
or basic research. Through research programs
such as those offered through the REE mission areas, the economics
profession has been able to outline several research priorities for our
profession. As the following
topics suggest, society will be facing some significant challenges over
the next ten years. Agricultural
economists have the knowledge and expertise to answer the questions
through their research and education efforts.
These priorities are important for communicating the role of
agricultural economics in dealing with the important problems facing
society. These
priorities include: 1.)
Assessing the Impacts of New Technologies. This includes evaluating how emerging information
technologies impact the food and fiber supply chains and understanding the
potential economic and social effects of biotechnology.
2.)
Improving the Competitiveness and Profitability of U.S. Agriculture.
This research priority focuses on what tools are needed to improve income
and manage risk in agriculture and the food and fiber system, as well as
what are the economic impacts of alternative food and agricultural
policies in a changing world. 3.)
Expanding Market Opportunities both Domestically and Internationally.
This includes how U.S. food and fiber industries can be more
effective in global markets and would address consumer concerns about
nutrition, health, and food safety. 4.)
Resolving Natural Resource, Environmental and Rural Economic Issues.
This area addresses such issues as what systems should be used to
more effectively manage natural resources and control environmental risks
and how to improve the economies of rural areas. The pursuit of these research needs will not be
possible without a secure and balanced funding portfolio through USDA.
This includes the competitive peer-reviewed grants as well as
formula funds. C-FARE would
like to voice our opinion strongly in favor of efforts that will increase
these funding levels in the future. Thank you once again for the opportunity to be here.
Again, I commend you for the job you've done in the past to support high
quality and valuable research. I
would ask that you consider expanding program areas to accommodate the
types of economics research priorities described to you today. There is
strong support for more economics research across scientific societies and
among policy makers.
Public Statements
|