chairman, principal,ladies and gentlemen,
i couldn't be more pleased to be back at this greatinstitution and to be with you on such a special dayin all your careers. i now realize i have beenpresident of the college for the last thirty years,which makes me feel somewhat ancient, but it alsomeans that i have seen some remarkable changes,including the introduction of a much wider range ofland management courses, achievement of fulluniversity status, and the development of thesplendid rural innovation centre – which i visited two years ago.
but some things don't change. the careers that you are embarking on are as important now asthey were for your predecessors when this institution was established in 1845, with my greatgreat great grandfather, prince albert, as the first patron. then, as now, there was a pressingneed to provide the best possible education for the people who were going to look after theland. and whichever aspect of farming or land management you have chosen to specialize in,that is, as the principal was saying, a huge responsibility.
it is absolutely clear, i think, that the most fundamental challenges the world faces over thecoming years will need to be solved by those working in agriculture. feeding an unsustainablygrowing global population of some nine billion people with limited natural resources, whilecoping with the inevitable impacts of climate change and, at the same time, sustainingnature's capacity to sustain us, will be no mean feat. we are now pushing nature's life-support systems so far that they are struggling to cope with what we ask of them. soils arebeing depleted, demand for water is growing ever more voracious and the entire system is atthe mercy of an increasingly fluctuating price of oil.
when we talk about agriculture and food production, we are talking about a complex andinterrelated system and it is simply not possible to single out just one objective, such asmaximizing production, without also ensuring that the system which delivers those increasedyields meets society's other needs. these must surely include the maintenance of publichealth, the safeguarding of rural employment and small holder farming, the protection of theenvironment and vital natural ecosystems.
dealing with such daunting challenges will require a different approach – an approach thatputs the protection of natural ecosystems back at the heart of the whole process, so as to seea dramatic improvement in soil health and organic matter and to ensure genuine foodsecurity, not to mention long-term human health. it will also require the very best of humaningenuity, dedication and resourcefulness. and that, to me, is why farming and landmanagement can never be ‘just another industry'.
you, ladies and gentlemen, will very soon be acting as custodians, or stewards, of a preciousnatural asset on which all of humanity depends and taking decisions in your daily lives that willhave long-term consequences. now i know only too well that you will be faced by endlessfinancial and economic pressures pulling you in the opposite direction, but if i could just ask onething of you, it would be that amidst all the excitement of starting your new jobs you maketime to look around you and try to understand the bigger picture. what has happened in thepast to shape the land the way it is? are you looking at a healthy, diverse and resilientecosystem? and is the balance right between short-term production and long-term health andsustainability? i know those may not be the most obvious things to ask as you start to findyour way around, but they might well be among the most important, at the end of the day.
in managing rural assets you will also, of course, be playing important roles in ruralcommunities. and i do hope you will also think hard about this human dimension, because thehealth of the agricultural sector and the health of what is left of the rural community aredirectly connected in so many fundamental ways. and i expect this is something you allunderstand very well, but the wider population certainly doesn't.
for what it's worth, that is why i set up my countryside fund five years ago, to raise money tohelp provide a somewhat more secure future for the most vulnerable people who look afterthe countryside, as well as to begin to tell a story about where our food actually comes from andwho is responsible for producing it. i know that your students union has helped raise money forthe fund and i couldn't be more grateful. it really is an important cause when every part ofthe agricultural sector is confronted by volatility, uncertainty and un-economic returns, so iam delighted to say that the grants we have given out over the last 5 years have just exceeded£6 million, all helping towards the process of maintaining living, productive, workinglandscapes that are better able to support resilient local businesses and strong ruralcommunities.
ladies and gentlemen, you have my warmest congratulations on being awarded your degreestoday. farming sustains life and is the foundation of any healthy civilization, so you have greatresponsibilities ahead of you, as well as exciting opportunities – as long as you remember to putnature back at the center of all your thinking and professional activities. only that way intoday's world can we hope to create a genuinely sustainable and durable future on this, wehave to remember, our only, miraculous planet. i can only wish you all every possible successin the future.
