In the article “A Better Chesapeake Bay Demands A Realistic Look At Farm Pollution,” editor-at-large at The BayNet, Karl Blankenship, concludes his series on nutrient pollution in the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers by discussing tension between goals to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in the Bay and keeping farms economically viable. The piece explores how continuing increases in demand for animal products will complicate this process further, with insights from experts like Caitlin Grady, director of research and policy at GW’s Global Food Institute and a professor of engineering management and systems engineering.
Here is an excerpt from the article: “I’m not trying to sound doom and gloom,” Grady said. “But there are a lot of system-wide influences on farms. We are in a global economy. Things get traded. Things get exported and imported out of the ports at Baltimore and Norfolk, and these are influencing us in ways that are way beyond what we talk about managing.”
Read the full article on The BayNet. For more on Grady’s research at the intersection of water, energy, and food systems, visit the GW Global Food Institute website.