Panel: Nutrition, technology important to building markets
February 20, 2014 | 03:07 PM
By KIM de BOURBON
Creating demand for more nutritious food and using technology to develop more efficient agriculture were among the needs suggested by a panel addressing the issue of “Building Markets: Here and Abroad” at the USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum today.
Cathy Burns
Produce Marketing Association President Cathy Burns said her organization is working on “creating the demand” for the fruits and vegetables produced by its members. She also spoke on the need for science and technology to “remove barriers to consumption” around the world.
She also recognized a “war for the industry’s talent,” especially as information gathering and processing becomes increasingly important in the age of “big data.”
Her organization has started a PMA Foundation for Industry Talent that works with universities to showcase produce as a career choice.
Kellee James
Kellee James, founder and CEO of Mercaris, a market data service and trading platform for organic, non-GMO and certified agricultural commodities, emphasized the need for entrepreneurship and using “big data” information and research to improve results.
She said that with modern technology, entrepreneurs can tap into innovations without the need for huge investments.
The Mercaris website says James formed the company to address “the lack of basic market data available to participants in the organic and non-GMO supply chain.”
Paul Schickler
DuPont Pioneer President Paul Schickler said he sees the challenges ahead in producing an adequate amount of food with increased nutritional value that can be produced in a sustainable way.
He noted that DuPont today announced development of a more stable Vitamin A-enhanced sorghum that can be harvested and saved for up to three months without losing its Vitamin A, offering better nutrition to children in sub-Saharan Africa.
Schickler also mentioned the importance of the electronic age in increasing productivity by collecting and distributing information on weather trends, the market place and soil technologies.
Rajiv Shah
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who moderated the panel, asked the four to look into the future and predict what agricultural trends they will be seeing in five years or more.
U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah mentioned the growing demand for better nutrition as 2 billion to 3 billion more people around the world see their income increase from $2 a day to $10 a day.
Shah said that within 15 to 20 years the world will see the integration of African food producers into the global economy. “It’s a definite trend” that Africa will produce food in “a more modern commercial manner,” he said.
Burns said she sees an opportunity to market the benefits of healthy food to children, saying that those in the audience — today’s adults — may be “lost causes.”
She noted the “exciting partnership” the Produce Marketing Association has formed with the White House and the Partnership for a Healthier America to use Sesame Street characters to promote fruits and vegetables, saying she looked forward to the day when children would go into a supermarket and say “Hey, Mom, I want apples,” or mushrooms or cauliflower.
James said she is concerned about climate change and soil health, although she saw there was still an opportunity to make changes in this area.
The panelists also addressed the need for the next generation to get involved in agriculture, with James saying the industry needs to “tap into their knowledge base.”
- Produce Marketing Association
- Mercaris
- DuPont Pioneer — Global consortium of scientists achieve research breakthrough to make sorghum crop more nutritious
- US Agency for International Development
