Over the years of writing this commentary on agriculture the subject of the ever shrinking connection between active farmers and consumers has been the topic repeatedly.
In many respects it is the greatest challenge farmer鈥檚 face.
People in general distrust that which they do not understand, and the reality is the average consumer in Toronto, New York, Los Angeles or Vancouver has no ties to farming. They have no more knowledge of what it takes to produce a pound of beef, or a bushel of canola than most on the farm would know about how a car is built, or a mine operates.
And frankly you don鈥檛 have to go to the big cities to realize the disconnection.
You can go to a classroom in a small city like Yorkton today and find very few, if any, who have a direct connect to a farm, and most will never have set foot on an operating farm.
So the question becomes where do people get the information on which they base their perception of agriculture.
I would argue there are two primary sources, and neither provides a particularly accurate view of the sector.
At a young age, there is the idyllic view of farming seen far too may children鈥檚 books. You know the ones; a red hip-roofed barn, a pond with a few ducks, a milk cow, and a handful of chickens, while a farmer riding a cab-less tractor is working a field in the distance.
That might have been the farm of our grandfathers, but it isn鈥檛 today鈥檚 reality to be sure.
And while I know some will disagree I suspect that vision hurts today鈥檚 farmers, as those children book images of what many think of as 鈥榓 family farm鈥� are simply out-dated.
And then as adults consumers are inundated with a deluge of information, often contradictory of each other.
Organic foods are safer than conventionally produced ones, or are they? The answer depends very much on the source of the answer.
Genetically modified crops face the same situation, are they safe, or not?
Again the answer depends very much on its source.
And, unfortunately sources often have their own agenda attached.
So if farmers want their story to at least be part of the conversation they have to tell their own story.
And in that regard you have to tip your hat to SaskCanola for initiating the creation of the documentary film 鈥楲icense to Farm鈥�.
鈥淐anada is a world leader in agriculture and food production. But farming doesn鈥檛 look the same as it did a hundred, fifty, or even ten years ago. Farmers are producing more with less, using more efficient and sustainable practices than ever before. So why do consumers carry so much doubt around the way their food is produced? When did fear begin to trump science and fact when it comes to food production 鈥� and how do we earn back that valuable consumer confidence?鈥� relates the film鈥檚 website at www.licensetofarm.com
鈥淚t is crucial for agriculture 鈥� particularly farmers 鈥� to take a seat at the table when it comes to conversations about food. Farmers can play a crucial role by engaging in meaningful conversations, opening the doors to their livelihood and building trust with their communities.鈥�
The film does provide farmers a voice supported by experts, and industry people, touching on critical aspects such as the safety of GM crops, and how continuous crop techniques actually help soil health, all with an eye to producing enough food for a growing world population.
It鈥檚 a huge story to tell, and the film only scratches the surface, given it is only 30-minutes in length, but it is a start.
Actually, it鈥檚 a huge start. It is getting farmers telling the world what they do is produce safe food in a way that ensures a consistent supply.
That is the irony of the situation of course. The loudest voices of opposition to GM crops, farm protection product use, and mega farms come from people in North America and Europe where store shelves are always full, and going hungry is not an issue. Nor is accessing alternately grown crops should they want too.
The reality speaks volumes to just how good a job farmer鈥檚 are doing growing our food.
Calvin Daniels is Assistant Editor with Yorkton This Week.
