b"THE BUZZWORD GAP BETWEEN AG AND CONSUMERSWith buzzwords everywhere, how can we use them to bridge the information gap between ag and the general public?Ashley RobinsonBUZZWORDS SEEM TObe everywhere theseyield, what they care about is what they can get out of days, and while some explain actual agricul- it. And unless they see something that benefits them in ture practices and science, others arent necessary.their everyday life, its very easy to oppose the technol-However, these words can be used to bridge the infor- ogy, Schwarcz explains in the Seed Speaks episode.mation understanding gap between the agriculturalWhile using correct terminology, or buzzwords, community and consumer worlds. to explain products and science can help agriculture, I think there's sometimes this tendency to fearthere are cases of words being misused. Schwarcz has (buzzwords), but understand what those mean, andnoticed words on labels that while they are correct,Kent G. then really try to relate the things that we do or wouldthey are misleading and therefore meaningless.Schescke is the like to do in agriculture, Kent G. Schescke, executiveexecutive vice vice president and CEO of CAST, says in the Sept. 15president and episode of Seed Speaks. I think it's helping bridge thatCEO of CAST.gap. A lot of this is the fact that we have this growing distance between consumerswhat they know andUnless [the consumers] see something that understand about food and agriculture.Using buzzwords can help agriculture to be able tobenefits them in their everyday life, its very communicate better with the general public, Schescke says. Buzzwords can also be used to better explain theeasy to oppose the technology why behind the science used in agriculture and how it Joe Schwarczcan help people in their everyday lives.I think we need to do a better job of talking about the benefits of the technology that we use from a societal or consumer benefits standpoint, Schescke explains. I think we've got an opportunity now with some of the new and emerging technology, whetherYou see bottles of water saying no GMOs. And of it be gene editing, or some of the other new productscourse, it implies that there might be other bottles that being developed, to really focus more on what areare where the water is somehow genetically modified, the benefits that technology provides for society inwhich of course, its total nonsense, he says. Joe Schwarcz is general. This can also cause people to question the safety ofdirector of In the past, agriculture hasnt always done theour food supply system, Schwarcz says. When he seesMcGill best in explaining the benefits of new scientificallythe word natural on a label its concerning as it impliesUniversitys developed products. Joe Schwarcz, director of McGillthat everything which comes from nature is safe andOffice for Universitys Office for Science and Society, points tobenign, while anything synthetic is made in a lab withScience and when the first genetically modified organism (GMO),chemicals and therefore is bad. Society.the FLAVR SAVR tomato, was released in 1990s, thereThe only way to know if any substance is safe or was confusion about what a GMO was. The tomatonot, is by knowing what it is by knowing the molecular also didnt taste the way it was marketed. structure, knowing how it's been tested. Not whether it The consumer really doesnt care about how thewas made by a chemist in a lab or by Mother Nature in a farmer uses this technology for better profits or higherbush that has absolutely no meaning, he explains.SW12/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2021"