How can agriculture boost consumer trust?
At last week’s annual Agri-Growth Conference, Charlie Arnot, CEO of the Center for Food Integrity, began his presentation with this positive declaration:
“Today, food is safer, more affordable and more available than ever before.”
This statement was immediately followed by another that wasn’t so positive:
“Yet the very systems that made that happen are questioned more than ever before. Why?” he asked.
Those of us who farm and/or work in agriculture often wonder the same thing. It’s easy to lash out and be defensive whenever agriculture is criticized or questioned. Citing data, statistics and academic information is another popular method for ag to respond to criticisms or skepticism.
Arnot says there are better ways.
“Earn a social license through trust,” he said. “Authority used to be granted by being elected to public office. Now it’s granted by relationships. We need to ask, ‘How can we engage with you in a way that’s more meaningful?’”
Arnot traces today’s skepticism of agriculture back to the late 1960s, when events such as the Vietnam war and political scandals eroded the public’s trust of institutions. Today, there’s a perception that agriculture has become an institution, which leads to increased skepticism and a breakdown of trust.
“It’s become the norm to be skeptical,” Arnot said.
So how does agriculture re-build that trust? That’s the big question everyone asks. Arnot says there is no magic-bullet, simple, immediate answer. He also says the timeline for building back trust is likely at least a 25-year process.
Being more transparent is an important step in that process. Arnot says the mindset for many in agriculture tends to be “we have nothing to hide, but it’s none of your business.” That’s not real transparency.
Instead, agriculture should approach transparency by demonstrating that it puts the public’s interest above its own. Information should be easy to find and understand. Both sides of controversial issues should be addressed, not just ag’s side. By taking these steps, ag will show that it’s forthcoming, not just honest.
“Transparency is no longer optional,” Arnot said. “Leverage it to your benefit.”
Arnot also says agriculture tends to rely too heavily on using complicated scientific data when communicating with the general public.
“We assume if we give people the information that they’ll come to our side,” Arnot said. “Shared values are 3-5 times more important than science and data when it comes to building trust.”
That’s all well and good from a big-picture, 50,000-foot view of agriculture and trust, but what can we do the ground? What can individual farmers do to help agriculture build trust with consumers? How about commodity organizations or ag-based businesses?
Arnot says we need to commit to engaging online, in-person and through individual operations, organizations or companies. Tell your story to consumers, and build relationships that increase trust. We should also embrace skepticism, use shared values in our public interactions and take advantage of digital platforms to give people an inside look at our farms or ag businesses.
“Who you are is as important as what you know,” Arnot said. “We all need to participate.”
The Center for Food Integrity has a great website to learn more about farming and consumer trust. Check it out here. You can also follow Charlie Arnot on Twitter.
