During a virtual panel on broadband expansion organized by Food Tank and the Refresh Working Group, experts argue that internet connectivity is crucial to building more resilient communities and food systems.
Moderated by Food Tank President Danielle Nierenberg, and journalist Chloe Sorvino ofForbes, the event is part of a weeklong series about the intersection of food and technology. Panelists include Michelle Miller,Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems at UW-Madison;Leanna Mulvihill, PM – Customer Engagement forFarm Generations Coop;金·奥尔森（Kim Olson）于2018年退休的美国空军上校和德克萨斯农业专员的民主党提名人；和Ankita Raturi农业和生物工程助理教授Purdue University.
According to the Federal Communications Commission, approximately四分之一的农村人口in the United States lacks fixed broadband service at threshold speeds. And in tribal areas, this is true for nearly one-third of residents.
小组成员说，缺乏宽带会影响农民扩展到新市场的能力，过渡到更可持续的实践，并与其他农民有关最佳实践的联系。
Miller explains that a number of factors have led to this situation. In some areas, landscapes can make the installation of internet service a challenge. But in other areas, population density comes into play.
米勒告诉《食品坦克》：“如果不够稠密，公司对提供服务不感兴趣，因为没有钱可赚钱。”w88优德老虎机平台
奥尔森认为，这就是为什么宽带“应该像水和电力一样成为公共事业”。
Mulvihill and Miller say that such a change would benefit not just farmers, but the food system as a whole.
At Farm Generations Coop, Mulvihill works to create technological, scale-appropriate solutions for farms. She says that stronger connectivity could help farmers reach more customers and, in turn, help consumers diversify their diets.
Miller also believes the broadband expansion will help to create greater transparency in the food system. With a better flow of information, more farmers could share what they’re doing as well as best practices. All of this can bring equity into the food system.
Raturi和Olson指出，积极影响进一步发展。
“When we talk about tools, we often think about them as tools for work, but they’re also tools for community,” Raturi tells Food Tank. “This is a means for us to communicate with each other.”
奥尔森补充说，互联网访问还对公共教育，医疗保健等有影响—something more people are recognizing during COVID-19, as people attend school and see doctors online. Broadband, she says, “is not just good from a social point of view, but is also good from a health point of view, from an economic point of view.”
为了支持扩大宽带访问的努力，米勒认为决策者必须做更多的事情。“We’ve been talking about internet access for at least a decade,” Miller tells Food Tank, “and it’s time for the administration to be thinking about this as a ‘build back better’ effort and put some support…to make this a utility.”
Raturi认为，确保解决方案负担得起也是至关重要的。并且还承认没有一种适合的方法。
Olson agrees, adding that it will be necessary to ensure that more people have a seat at the table so they can represent the diverse needs of their communities.
Despite these hurdles, the panelists are hopeful that a new administration will bring some of the changes they want to see. Miller and Raturi are also heartened by a growing interest in participatory approaches to the design of policy and technology as well as greater collaboration among communities in the food system.
Raturi告诉Food Tank：“这种方法是进行协作的方法，使我希望我们实际上能够将其中一些部分放在一起。”w88优德老虎机平台
观看下面的完整对话或在播客上收听这里，并确保注册该系列中的其余对话这里.
如果您喜欢这样的编程，请立即考虑成为会员这里. Our members’ support makes Food Tank’s work possible.
