This week, we attended a conference on modern agriculture and learned more about how the AgChat Foundation is helping “agvocates” tell their story through social media channels.

CropLife America hosts National Policy Conference focusing on future of agriculture and agricultural policy

This week we attended CropLife America’s National Policy Conference, entitled Modern Agriculture: Exploring its Relationship with Technology, Science & Society. Moderated by Marc Gunther, FORTUNE editor and Greenbiz.com senior writer, the event brought together a diverse crowd of experts who weren’t afraid to share their thoughts on the future of modern agriculture.

During the session entitled “Modern Agriculture: What is it? What Stands in the Way,” the panelists agreed that one of the biggest obstacles to acceptance of modern agriculture practices is the way that scientific information is- and isn’t- communicated.

During his keynote speech, Michael Specter, author of Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives, encouraged farmers and others in the agriculture industry to face the critics head-on and to make sure their story gets told, especially in the media.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark) spoke at the CropLife America National Policy Conference

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee and Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), ranking Republican on the House Agriculture Committee, spoke with CropLife America President and CEO Jay Vroom about the challenges and opportunities of modern agriculture. Both Sen. Lincoln and Rep. Goodlatte are strong supporters of agricultural biotechnology and science-based agriculture and understand the importance that agriculture plays in our society and economy.

AgChat Foundation continues to grow

The AgChat Foundation, born out of the highly visible “#AgChat” community on Twitter, aims to empower farmers and ranchers to connect communities through social media platforms. Learn about the AgChat Foundation and what it is doing to help farmers and ranchers engage on Twitter, Facebook, blogs and other social media services to tell their stories through its interactive website: http://agchat.org/.

CBI panelists from L to R: Sally Squires, moderator, Dr. Bruce Chassy, Dr. Margaret Zeigler, Michael Specter, Kenneth Kamiya and Maywa Montenegro

On Wednesday we hosted a panel about public perceptions and the impact misperceptions can have on the adoption of ag biotechnology. In a crowded conference room, Sally Squires moderated a lively discussion about some of the common misperceptions of ag biotechnology and how scientists, journalists and third party hunger advocates can help correct those misperceptions for the benefit of all. READ MORE »

CBI is organizing a panel this year at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) Conference on May 5 titled “How Public Perception Affects Adoption of Technologies that Help Feed the World.” We are excited about our distinguished group of panelists and are looking forward to a robust discussion about the political, communication and regulatory hurdles that slow acceptance of agricultural technologies.

The panel will address the connection between public perception of technologies, such as agricultural biotechnology, and their adoption. The speakers will address the political hurdles, which often result from cultures of misinformation and unfounded fears, that inhibit acceptance of agricultural technologies and that prevent certain populations from access to their many benefits.

We would love to hear ideas from our readers and let you help shape our panel discussion. Please feel free to submit questions for our panelists through Twitter, Facebook or the comments section of the blog. Our moderator, Sally Squires, will choose the best and use them throughout our panel.

Below are our excellent panelists, an accomplished group of authors, journalists, academics and advocates. We look forward to hearing their unique and informed perspectives about the role perception plays in the adoption of crop technology.

Sally Squires - Moderator
Senior Vice President, Weber Shandwick; former medical and health Staff Writer and Nationally Syndicated Columnist for The Washington Post

Michael Specter
Staff writer for The New Yorker, author of Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives

Maywa Montenegro
Senior Associate Editor, Seed Magazine

Bruce Chassy, Ph. D.
Professor of food microbiology and a professor of nutritional sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Kenneth Kamiya
President, Hawaii Papaya Industry Association

Margaret Zeigler, Ph. D.
Deputy Director, Congressional Hunger Center

Michael Specter, a staff writer with the New Yorker, confronts the widespread fear of science and the negative impact it could have on scientific progress in the areas of  global agriculture, health and nutrition in his new book Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives .

Specter was on MSNBC and NPR’s “On the Media” program promoting Denialism and explaining the importance of agricultural biotechnology in addressing certain global challenges, and the resistance to it among certain groups.

A video of the MSNBC interview can be found here and a transcript of the NPR interview is available here.

Please share your thoughts on Denialism and how attitudes towards science and technology may be limiting progress.