Ag Experts: NC Could Lead US In Food Security, But National Strategy Needed

By Katherine Zehnder
Carolina Journal

North Carolina is positioned to help strengthen America’s food security and reduce dependence on foreign suppliers, but the country needs a national strategy, Brett Sciotto, CEO of the Center for American Food Power, told attendees at the NC Chamber’s annual Ag Allies Conference.

North Carolina has the third-most diverse agricultural economy in the country and contributes more than $111 billion annually to the state’s GDP. Diversity is the strength of North Carolina’s agricultural economy, according to Sciotto.

He also said that food and agriculture generate nearly 20% of the United States’ economic output, or more than $10.4 trillion, and support nearly 49 million jobs. He described the sector as a primary pillar of the country’s economic strength.

“I would argue that no matter how powerful your military is, how many fighter jets you have or carrier groups, no matter how sophisticated your technology is…that all of that comes crashing down if you don’t have food security,” said Sciotto. “It’s the underpinning of all of it, and it’s not something we can take for granted.”

He asserts that history has shown that turbulence, the overthrow of governments, and the pursuit of nuclear weapons are most often driven by food insecurity, at least in part.

America is undergoing a structural transformation, according to Sciotto, who identified three primary trends driving macro-level change: global affluence, geopolitics, and human health.

Global Affluence
Sciotto called global affluence an opportunity for the United States to compete in protein and value-added products, connect with new markets, and serve existing markets differently. He said the country needs to expand access to international markets and compete more effectively in value-added products.

Sciotto urged Americans to think not just about food security, but about food power. He said the country should consider the world’s future needs, what the United States is uniquely positioned to provide, and how doing so could increase its international influence. A different approach could help the country grow its exports and remain the No. 1 national agricultural exporter, rather than conceding that position to Brazil over the next century, he said.

Geopolitics
“The No. 1 responsibility of any government is to make sure that its people have access to food,” said Sciotto. “Our entire national security strategy is pretty much about building a force to counter China, and yet our agricultural strategy is to hope that China will do more for us and with us.”

America has benefited from China’s need for its exports, but it cannot rely on that relationship indefinitely.

“We shouldn’t build a system that relies on inputs from threat nations,” said Sciotto. “Building our food system dependent on threat countries doesn’t sound like the best national security move.”

Sciotto said the economic ties the United States has relied on as a rational force in the world could be suspended from time to time in the interest of national security. Mexico and Canada are important partners; if the United States builds and maintains strong relationships with them, those relationships could provide a whole other level of food power.

Human Health
The unintended consequences of meeting the demand for long-lasting food, stabilizing shelf life, maintaining taste, and addressing the needs of food deserts have ultimately affected human health, according to Sciotto.

“Americans are waking up to the fact that their quality of life, their longevity, and their ability to do the things they want to do are tied to food,” said Sciotto. “It’s an opportunity, not an attack; this is the biggest opportunity of our time to transform our system in a way that is second to none in the world.”

United States publishes national dietary guidance, yet the nominal value of its agricultural imports is about 7 times its 1995 level, Sciotto said. He also said changing consumer preferences and compliance with federal dietary recommendations would require agricultural imports to more than double.

Nutritional sovereignty, a new term, is the ability for a nation to feed its citizens everything they need without dependence on threatening nations, according to Sciotto. He said health concerns increasingly influence food choices and can lead Americans to seek products elsewhere. He warned that the United States, long the leading national agricultural exporter, could lose that position to Brazil as that nation expands production, including protein production, an area in which the United States is strong.

National Strategy
“We need to rethink how we are doing business so that we can ensure this powerful capability that we have,” he said. “If we can’t compete as the world’s low-cost bulk commodity producer, we need to compete in a different arena; that’s the opportunity for us. Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of time to think about it.”

Sciotto said risks are accumulating, and the country needs a comprehensive national plan.

As competitive forces in the world continue to intensify, enormous opportunities remain despite mounting challenges, according to Sciotto. However, America must acknowledge that change is needed. Americans are the world’s innovators and are capable of building a system that will win for the next 80 to 100 years.

A national strategy is needed, according to Sciotto. America needs to be less dependent on threat nations for fertilizer, base ingredients, and other inputs. The country should consider new inputs, methods, and processes that enable us to be less dependent and achieve greater nutritional density as it moves up the value-added chain.

“If we are going to be the most powerful country in the world, then we need to be able to feed our people what they need — period,” said Sciotto. “We have the growing capacity to do it, we have the technology to do it, we just have to have the will to do it.”