Prince Charles' speech questions future of food

The Prince of Wales was once cruelly mocked for allegedly talking to his plants.

Today, the man who would be king is listened to seriously when he talks about sustainability issues, especially those involving food production.

Now, his keynote address from 2011's "The Future of Food" conference in Washington, D.C., has been published as a booklet: "The Prince's Speech: On the Future of Food" (Rodale, $6.99). Prince Charles' remarks at Georgetown University are augmented by a foreword from Wendell Berry, the noted farmer-author-poet, and an afterword by Will Allen, chief executive officer of Growing Power Inc. in Milwaukee, and Eric Schlosser, author of "Fast Food Nation."

Not an easy read

Still, this slim volume comes in at just 64 pages.

Just don't expect this to be an easy, quick read. Prince Charles' comments and insights require patient, careful examination.

The problem, as the prince sees it, is the current state of industrialized food production. How can the world create a more sustainable and durable method of food production addressing environmental, economic, public health and quality of life concerns, he asks, amid "so many competing demands for land, in an increasingly volatile climate and when levels of the planet's biodiversity are under such threat or in serious decline?"

Hidden hunger

"Over a billion people ... are hungry and another billion suffer from what is called 'hidden hunger,' which is the lack of essential vitamins and nutrients in their diets," the prince declared.

After underlining the irony that more than 1 billion people are overweight worldwide, he writes that "very brave steps" are needed to correct the problem for future generations. We have to put Nature back at the heart of the equation."

The book is supported by a website, www.onthe futureoffood.org, where New York-based Grace Communications Foundation, which helped sponsor the food conference and worked to make the book a reality, offers ideas on what can be done.