Farmers need to explain what they mean by sustainability

Posted by Owen Roberts | Apr 12, 2010 | Guelph Mercury

Farmers on both sides of the Canada-US border have chosen sustainability as a rallying cry. It’s a familiar term to the urban politicians and others they’re trying to influence. I think most people associate the term with environmental sustainability, though, and farmers will have to work hard to explain that their definition includes economic viability. Sustainability doesn’t pack up into a tight 30-second elevator speech the way their last slogan, Farmers Feed Cities, did. I cover the Ontario Agriculture Sustainability Coalition-ledÂ campaign in my Urban Cowboy column in today’s Guelph Mercury.

About The Author

Owen Roberts

Urban Cowboy

Raising awareness and promoting dialogue about current food and agriculture issues.

OWEN ROBERTS

Owen Roberts is an agricultural journalist and communications instructor based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. He is a trustee on the Global Foundation for Agricultural Journalism and an associate editor (communications) for the Journal of Agromedicine. Previously, Owen was president of the International Forum for Agricultural Journalists, an agricultural communications faculty member at the University of Illinois, and research communications director at the University of Guelph. His programs and research papers have been recognized through awards from the Journal of Applied Communications, the National Agri-Marketing Association, the Association for Communications Excellence and the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation.