This conference entitled "Food for Tomorrow" advertised on the New York Times website is interesting for several reasons.
For one, it promises in the sub-title to tell us how to "farm better." For all the talk that many of these same speakers devote to "real farmers" it is interesting that not a single one makes the list. At a registration rate of $1395, the conference is sure to breed group-think and insulate the group from the challenges faced by most farmers in this country.
The twitter activity surrounding the event has been amusing.
Here's one:
Another interesting issue is the almost complete lack of representation of food or agricultural scientists or discussion of the the ability of technology to solve food and agricultural problems.
That sparked a discussion related to this point:
It doesn't bother me in the least that such a conference is being held. What troubles me is that the names on the speakers list have such cultural cache and are see as the authorities on food. Theirs is a one-sided perspective, and one particularly out of step with the way most Americans actually farm and eat.