Dear Penn Vet Community,
We all want to make the world a better place for future generations, for example, a world with economic equality, greater food security, and ecological resilience. For this reason, in 2015, the United Nations adopted Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) to provide a blueprint for all economic sectors to contribute to a healthier planet.
Agriculture encompasses 38% of the world’s land surface, so it is critical to the attainment of the UN’s SDGs. The agriculture revolution yielded an abundance of food: currently 50% more food than necessary to feed the earth’s 8 billion people. So, what is the problem?
First, this food is largely in the form of grains. It is neither equitably distributed, nor sufficiently nutrient (protein) dense to address global malnutrition; second, industrial cropland agriculture involves repeated tillage and chemical applications, contributing to poor soil health.
On the other hand, two-thirds of agriculture’s footprint is grasslands and pastures used for grazing. Contrary to the common narrative, studies have shown that cattle grazing, if effectively managed, can improve soil health and biodiversity. Agriculture is a double- edged sword: one edge is the problem, the other the solution. Thus, the agriculture sector needs to provide benefits for everyone, WITHOUT harming our planet.
In 2020 we began to explore this tension by way of our Farm of the Future Symposium, a seven-part series delivered in partnership with Penn’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design. The symposium highlighted the notion that there is no single road map toward sustainability, but rather, a mosaic of evolving and inventive practices. A year later, in 2021, we reconsidered the mission of the Center for Animal Health and Productivity. We wanted to build on Penn Vet’s solid foundation of veterinary scientists and clinicians and integrate other across-Penn faculty. In other words, from inside – and outside – “the agriculture silo.”
The result is our new Center for Stewardship Agriculture and Food Security (CSAFS). The goal of the CSAFS is to promote interdisciplinary research, education, outreach, and public engagement on the future of sustainable agriculture, finding unique and applicable solutions that enhance food production while minimizing environmental impacts. We envision a future in which faculty specializing in soil and plant biology, hydrology, climate science, and digital agriculture will be working alongside our veterinarians and allied scientists. From my view, the CSAFS will undoubtedly bolster Penn Vet’s role in sustainable agriculture.
This Bellwether features the launch of our CSAFS, an effort led by Tom Parsons, VMD, PhD, Marie A. Moore Professor of Animal Welfare and Ethics. We hope the issue inspires you to think about Penn Vet as a leading institution in sustainable agriculture, driven by the voice of veterinarians. And through this effort, we will make the world a better, more secure, and sustainable place.
Andrew M. Hoffman, DVM, DVSc, DACVIM
The Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Veterinary Medicine