RESEARCH Will Solve Many Problems.

• Position: Agricultural research - Brief Article

By the end of this decade, harmful bacteria such as salmonella and listeria could be eliminated from the food purchased by consumers. That is just one example of the potential payoff from an investment in agricultural research, says Victor Lechtenberg, dean of agriculture at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., and chair of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board.

Although agricultural research may seem to be an anachronism in today's urban society, issues such as the safety of genetically engineered foods, pathogens in the food supply, environmental problems created by industrial agriculture, and the disappearance of the family farm make it as important as ever, he argues. For instance, in the near future, technology will detect food pathogens before the products leave the supermarket or even before they pass through the farm gate. "It's not too farfetched to think of a microbiology scanner at the grocery checkout that would scan a package of meat for contamination at the same time as the price scanner is reading the bar code" Lechtenberg points out.

Being able to eliminate harmful pathogens from the food supply is just one of the problems related to agriculture and natural resources that can be solved. He predicts that, over the next few years, agricultural research will focus on the following areas:

Nutrition and health. Scientists have identified natural compounds in foods that combat diseases such as diabetes, and many researchers believe that, with additional work, they will be able to create new foods in order to control them. "The potential exists in a wide variety of health problems to improve human or animal health through positive changes in the composition of food materials, instead of always relying on drugs."

Agricultural biotechnology. Consumers have a difficult time distinguishing between the conflicting claims about genetic modification of crops. Because of strong demand by farmers, new genetically modified crops are going to be introduced to the market. Agricultural scientists at public institutions will need to give consumers the data and information they need so they can better understand and address the risks of these new technologies.

Environmentally friendly agriculture. Research will help farmers find ways to produce food with less harm to the natural environment...