112 



INVESTING IN RESEARCH 



pefx;ent of food energy and 100 percent of certain 

 nutrients, they also contribute more than half of the 

 total fat, nearly three- fourths of the sauirated fatty 

 acids, and all of the dietary cholesterol in the U.S. diet 

 (National Research Council, 1988a). Agricultural 

 research is focusing on ways to produce leaner ani- 

 mals and to process nutritious foods with reduced 

 levels of saturated fats and cholesterol. 



Salmonella species and Campylobacter jejuni from 

 all sources are each responsible for up to 2,000 cases 

 of gastroenteric disease per 1 00,000 people per year in 

 the United States (National Research Council, 1 985a). 

 Illnesses caused by these microorganisms tend to be 

 most severe among the very young, the very old, or 

 patients with immunosuppressive diseases. New re- 

 search can determine points at which known patho- 

 gens enter the food supply and can contribute to 

 improving methods for detection, monitoring, and 

 control. 



Although potential cancer risks from ingesting 

 pesticides in the diet are small in comparison with the 

 potential risks from other known causes of cancer, the 

 pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables are a grow- 

 ing public concern. Research can provide new in- 

 sights into levels of dietary risk and can identify new 

 alternatives that will ensure the producer a high- 

 quality crop while reducing the need for pesticide 

 application. 



Natural Resources and the Environment 



Concern for prudent natural resources stewardship 

 and a clean and sustainable environment is now focus- 

 ing on issues such as contamination of surface water 

 and groundwater by natural and chemical fertilizers, 

 pesticides, and sediment; the continued abuse of frag- 

 ile and nutrient-poor soils; and suitable disposal of 

 municipal, industrial, and agricultural wastes. 



Water pollution is probably the most damaging and 

 widespread environmental effect of agricultural pro- 

 duction. Various estimates of the potential financial 

 costs of surf ace water contamination from agricultural 

 production are in excess of $2 billion per year. Ground- 

 water is the source of public drinking water for nearly 

 75 million people. This fact is significant because 

 accumulating evidence indicates thata growing number 

 of contaminants from agricultural production are found 

 in underground water supplies. Although research is 

 being conducted in these areas, a major increase in 

 support will be required to adequately investigate and 



apply new knowledge and technologies to curtail 

 surface water and groundwater contamination. 



Soil erosion remains a serious environmental prob- 

 lem in parts of the United States, even after SO years of 

 state and federal efforts to control it. New data 

 indicate that the intensive tillage practices associated 

 with continuous monoculture or short crop rotations 

 may make soils more susceptible to erosion. New 

 knowledge will provide improved ways to estimate 

 erosion, decrease the displacement of soils by wind 

 and water, and develop federal policies for conserving 

 fragile lands. 



Waste disposal facilities all over the United States 

 are reaching their capacities to contain and decompose 

 plant and animal residues , pesticides, food processing 

 wastes, sewage, and industrial sludges. Research in 

 the agricultural, food, and environmental sciences can 

 help minimize the production of waste materials, 

 develop technologies to increase recycling, and de- 

 velop improved systems for ecologically safe waste 

 disposal systems. 



New Knowledge 



Solving the problems of competitiveness, a high- 

 quality food supply, and natural resources and the 

 environment will require much more new knowledge 

 than was required to solve previous problems. An 

 example illustrates the point: Genetically engineered 

 biocontrol agents for pest management are now being 

 designed on the basis of current knowledge, but it will 

 likely take a 10-fold increase in understanding of the 

 biology of such agents and their survival and action in 

 various ecosystems before such engineered biological 

 conuol agents can be effectively developed and used. 

 The knowledge needed must come from a number of 

 disciplines, such as biochemistry, genetics, physiol- 

 ogy, plant pathology, entomology, plant biology, 

 ecosystems analysis, agronomy, and economics, 

 among others. The specific disciplinary knowledge 

 must then be integrated into effective production 

 systems. The knowledge required far transcends that 

 necessary for the current chemical-based technolo- 

 gies. 



The necessary new knowledge is unlikely to be 

 acquired and expediently applied without substantial 

 new funding. 



This proposal for investment in research for the 

 agricultural, food, and environmental system aims to 

 establish the new knowledge base necessary to ad- 

 dress the problems. 



