Healthy farms as a buffer to sprawl; an emotional appeal to modern consumers
For many years, the agricultural sector has tried to connect with its customer base by highlighting the ways in which scientific advancements and improved farming practices have contributed to a global food supply which is safer, more abundant and lower cost. While this line of reasoning resonated strongly with older generations, who lived through economic depressions and wartime rationing, it seems to carry less weight with younger Americans, many of whom view food insecurity as a thing of the past. With low-cost food now taken for granted, the farming community has increasingly found itself under attack in ways that would have been unthinkable a generation ago. These affronts to agriculture often come from a place of privilege or ideological difference with recent examples including the nuisance lawsuits in North Carolina and threats to deny growers access to key crop protection tools at the national level.
Recognizing that some of the traditional appeals from modern agriculture for the hearts and minds of consumers have fallen flat, we are using this blog post to explore the potency of new emotional appeal: The importance of a thriving agricultural sector as a buffer to suburban sprawl and farmland loss. After all, it would seem that individuals with the luxury of casting doubt on conventional agricultural practices might be among the most appreciative of the views it affords.
