AGree hopes to unite organic food advocates and the food industry. Will it be any different from past (failed) attempts?
The quotation in the title of this post is from Steve Clapp's recent article in Food Chemical News about the unspoken message behind formation
of a new group called AGree (agriculture, agree, get it?). AGree, according to its gorgeous website, aims
to "advance the well-being and prosperity of people in the United
States and abroad by transforming food and agriculture policy":
AGree is a bold new initiative designed to tackle long-term agricultural, food and rural policy issues. AGree has significant funding from eight of the world's leading foundations for at least the next eight years...We also recognize the interconnected nature of agriculture policy globally and we seek to break down traditional silos and work across issue areas.
The funders? These are heavy hitters: Ford Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and the Walton Family Foundation.
Who is running the show? AGree is to be led by former Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman; Gary Hirshberg, chairman and CEO of Stonyfield Farm; Jim Moseley, USDA deputy secretary during the first Bush administration; and Emmy Simmons, former assistant administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).