Authors participating in the Organic and IPM Working Group took a similar stance in their recent whitepaper, Organic Agriculture and Integrated Pest Management: Synergistic Partnership Needed to Improve the Sustainability of Agriculture and Food Systems.  The group reported that public policy and private-sector decision makers often focus on fast, cheap and easy as priorities, and share an inaccurate perspective that traditional conventional systems are working effectively, without need for change.  "Few research programs at public institutions focus first on understanding the problem so as to then develop sustainable solutions; most advance technology as the answer without addressing underlying fundamental problems," said the paper's authors.  They call for increased public investment in long-term sustainable food production systems, to reduce impacts on health and natural resources, and to respond to increasing demands from consumers and food company shareholders to improve food safety, farm worker health and welfare, pollinator health, and air and water quality.

A key to improvement, the authors argue, is greater public investment in research on organic agriculture and IPM systems that better reflects the benefits of reducing the tremendous external costs attributable to current approaches.  More big-picture systems-approach projects are needed, not simply research efforts which "focus on a narrow aspect of the whole, and fail to consider impacts of their research at the agroecosystem level."

Senator Peters called for an increase in investment of at least 1% to remain competitive internationally.  "Investments in basic research are a down payment on America's future and the key to keeping our nation on the cutting edge of an increasingly competitive global economy," Peters said.  "As the U.S. science and research community works to discover the next major scientific advancement, we in Congress must do our part by supporting and investing in their efforts to drive economic growth, unleash increased productivity, enhance our safety and security, and make the world a better place for future generations."