Webinar hosted by Ag More Than Ever, April, 2014. My first webinar! Really terrific opportunity (and forum)! Lots of good feedback and discussion!

1. The Art &
Science of the
Ag and Food
Conversation
Ag More Than Ever
Webinar
April 16, 2014
Cami Ryan, B.Comm, Ph.D.
College of Agriculture and
Bioresources
University of Saskatchewan

2. AESTHETIC
RELATIONSHIP WITH
FOOD
URBAN-RURAL
DIVIDE
HUMAN
COGNITIVE HABITS
PERCEPTIONS OF
EXPERTISE
THE ‘ -SCAPE’
SOCIAL
NETWORKING &
Social Media
PLATFORMS
CONVERSATIONComplex Conversational Space

3. A ‘First World’ relationship
with food
3

4. Almost 1 billion people
do not have ENOUGH food to EAT
4
Photo credit: James Natchwey

5. ‘First World’ Food
Identity Crisis?
Guilt-Free
Consumerism
Buying Patterns

6. “food holocaust”
“national eating disorder”
“too fat”
“too much red meat”
“too subsidized”
“too corporate”
“too monoculture”
6
“factoryfarms”
‘DOOMand GLOOM’

7. 7
The GOOD News!
40% food prep
81% clean up
25% fruits/veggies
30 yrs  lifespan

8. “…the FOOD that we so ENJOY
today is a
feat of human ingenuity
over NATURE’s total
indifference to us…”
Jayson Lusk, Agricultural Economist
Author, The Food Police

9. “…more than 500 activist
organizations are SPENDING
in excess of
$2.5 billion per year
engaging in food-related campaigns.”
J.Byrne 2011

10. Human
Cognitive
Habits
We are
CONSPIRATORIAL
thinkers
10

11. We are
CONFORMISTS
11
Human
Cognitive
Habits

12. We seek out information
that confirms our
world views
12
Human
Cognitive
Habits

13. We are PATTERN
seekers
13
Dog noses or space aliens?
Human
Cognitive
Habits

14. We think in
PICTURES
14
Scarrrry
Vegetables!
Human
Cognitive
Habits

15. 15

16. ‘Just in Time’ Users of Mobile
Technology
 72% of North Americans tap into
internet and social media
 Primary social media user demographic –
21-35 yrs
 Growth demographic – 45+ yrs
16
‘Just in Time’ misinformation!

17. Celebrity influence
17

18. The Dunning-Kruger Effect
less
knowledgeable
more
knowledgeable
Unskilled and unaware of it!
18

19. 19

20. Lesson #98:
Step away
from the
soapbox The DOCTOR
FREE
Unsolicited Advice
is
IN
20
CONVERSATIONLessons Learned

21. HOW you
communicate is more
important than WHAT
you actually say.
CONVERSATIONLessons Learned
21

22. Conventional plant breeding Genetic engineering
MOSH PIT BALLET
Inspired by: @toqlip
22

23. Credit: Joan Ruskamp, Nebraska
23

24. CONVERSATION
The (dreaded) Conversation
Lots of people with lots of
perspectives!
 Continuums
Knowledge, understanding,
expertise
Political motivators
Emotional scale (scared, angry,
curious...)

25. CONVERSATION
The Strategy
1. Determine
2. Diffuse and Deflect
3. Decide
4. Dialogue

26. Nuances of the Dialogue…
Connect
Find common ground
It’s a conversation – not a
CONVERSION
Initiate and ask questions
Listen more, talk less, learn
Re-connect
Value the relationship MORE than
the conversation
CONVERSATION

27. Sources?
 Connect with others that are ‘in the know’
(build your own networks)
 There is growing critical mass of people
engaging in these dialogues!
 ‘tool up’
 Use stories
 Use memes
 Videos and other online tools
 Participate in discussion forums
27

28. GOAL is not to “change hearts &
minds” as much as it is to
“change point of
reference”
- Michele Payn-Knoper -
CONVERSATIONArt& Science - SCIENCE & Art

29. Go easy on yourself:
Sometimes it’s
OK to walk away
CONVERSATIONArt& Science - SCIENCE & Art

30. The most important
conversations you
will ever have…
10,000,000
calories
&
lots of ‘chat’
‘Hayden’ Phenotype
‘Hayden’
Genotype
30

31. CONVERSATIONArt& Science - SCIENCE & Art
 Make real connections / avoid “educating”
 May require more listening and less talking
 If you hit the conversational wall, “back up
the bus”
 If you can’t respect the argument, respect
the intent
 Be brave, be confident – you know more than
you think you do
 It’s OK to say “I don’t know”
 Use your networks; crowdsource
 Lead with the narrative…
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32. Improving your
position doesn’t
mean raising your
voice…
32
CONVERSATION

33. Accuracy
Accountability
Authenticity
…it means *finding*
your voice!
33

34. “PEOPLE will forget what you said
and did, but they will never forget how
you made them FEEL.”
Maya Angelou
CONVERSATION

35. Conversations are
relationship-building
exercises.
So, you need to start from a
‘values-based’
perspective.
Share your STORY.
35

36. The collective INTERPLAY of
ALL of our VOICES
CATALYST for CHANGE

37. doccamiryan.wordpress.com
@DocCamiRyan
Cami Ryan
37
The Art & Science of the
Ag and Food Conversation
Cami Ryan, B.Comm, Ph.D.