We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.

Aldo Leopold

Executive Summary: Social Responsibility Initiative

• Introduction
• A Longstanding Commitment
• Bridging Gaps Worldwide
• Working Together

Social Responsibility: Balancing People, Profit, and Planet

From their roots in the 1800s, land-grant universities have focused their teaching, research and outreach activities to help farmers produce low-cost, abundant, and readily available food - and the consuming public has benefited. While a safe, plentiful food supply is still a priority, agricultural scientists increasingly recognize that today's consumers are calling for safe, wholesome, and nutritious foods produced ethically, humanely, and without adversely affecting the environment.

At Ohio State University's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, we're heeding the call. We believe that socially responsible food and agricultural production must strike a delicate balance between people, profit, and planet. Social and natural scientists must work together to ensure that research and extension programs are comprehensive, transparent and credible to our traditional audiences, our critics, and to the public at large.

These are some of the guiding principles behind our newly established Social Responsibility Initiative. The SRI is a coordinated, interdisciplinary effort to encourage cutting-edge research on some of the most pressing food, agricultural and environmental issues facing Ohio and the world, from genetically modified foods and environmental quality to urban sprawl and the globalization of agriculture. We hope you join forces with us in our renewed commitment to social responsibility.