查尔斯王子在英国皇家农学院毕业典礼英语演讲稿
chairman, principal,ladies and gentlemen, i couldn't be
more pleased to be back at this greatinstitution and to be with
you on such a special dayin all your careers. i now realize i
have beenpresident of the college for the last thirty
years,which makes me feel somewhat ancient, but it alsomeans
that i have seen some remarkable changes,including the
introduction of a much wider range ofland management courses,
achievement of fulluniversity status, and the development of
thesplendid rural innovation centre – which i visited two years
ago. but some things don't change. the careers that you are
embarking on are as important now asthey were for your
predecessors when this institution was established in 1845, with
my greatgreat great grandfather, prince albert, as the first
patron. then, as now, there was a pressingneed to provide the
best possible education for the people who were going to look
after theland. and whichever aspect of farming or land
management you have chosen to specialize in,that is, as the
principal was saying, a huge responsibility. it is absolutely
clear, i think, that the most fundamental challenges the world
faces over thecoming years will need to be solved by those
working in agriculture. feeding an unsustainablygrowing global
population of some nine billion people with limited natural
resources, whilecoping with the inevitable impacts of climate
change and, at the same time, sustainingnature's capacity to
sustain us, will be no mean feat. we are now pushing nature's
life-support systems so far that they are struggling to cope
with what we ask of them. soils arebeing depleted, demand for
water is growing ever more voracious and the entire system is
atthe mercy of an increasingly fluctuating price of oil. when
we talk about agriculture and food production, we are talking
about a complex andinterrelated system and it is simply not
possible to single out just one objective, such asmaximizing
production, without also ensuring that the system which delivers
those increasedyields meets society's other needs. these must
surely include the maintenance of publichealth, the safeguarding
of rural employment and small holder farming, the protection of
theenvironment and vital natural ecosystems. dealing with
such daunting challenges will require a different approach – an
approach thatputs the protection of natural ecosystems back at
the heart of the whole process, so as to seea dramatic
improvement in soil health and organic matter and to ensure
genuine foodsecurity, not to mention long-term human health. it
will also require the very best of humaningenuity, dedication
and resourcefulness. and that, to me, is why farming and
landmanagement can never be ‘just another industry'. you,
ladies and gentlemen, will very soon be acting as custodians, or
stewards, of a preciousnatural asset on which all of humanity
depends and taking decisions in your daily lives that willhave
long-term consequences. now i know only too well that you will
be faced by endlessfinancial and economic pressures pulling you
in the opposite direction, but if i could just ask onething of
you, it would be that amidst all the excitement of starting your
new jobs you maketime to look around you and try to understand
the bigger picture. what has happened in thepast to shape the
land the way it is? are you looking at a healthy, diverse and
resilientecosystem? and is the balance right between short-term
production and long-term health andsustainability? i know those
may not be the most obvious things to ask as you start to
findyour way around, but they might well be among the most
important, at the end of the day. in managing rural assets
you will also, of course, be playing important roles in
ruralcommunities. and i do hope you will also think hard about
this human dimension, because thehealth of the agricultural
sector and the health of what is left of the rural community
aredirectly connected in so many fundamental ways. and i expect
this is something you allunderstand very well, but the wider
population certainly doesn't. for what it's worth, that is
why i set up my countryside fund five years ago, to raise money
tohelp provide a somewhat more secure future for the most
vulnerable people who look afterthe countryside, as well as to
begin to tell a story about where our food actually comes from
andwho is responsible for producing it. i know that your
students union has helped raise money forthe fund and i couldn't
be more grateful. it really is an important cause when every
part ofthe agricultural sector is confronted by volatility,
uncertainty and un-economic returns, so iam delighted to say
that the grants we have given out over the last 5 years have
just exceeded£6 million, all helping towards the process of
maintaining living, productive, workinglandscapes that are
better able to support resilient local businesses and strong
ruralcommunities. ladies and gentlemen, you have my warmest
congratulations on being awarded your degreestoday. farming
sustains life and is the foundation of any healthy civilization,
so you have greatresponsibilities ahead of you, as well as
exciting opportunities – as long as you remember to putnature
back at the center of all your thinking and professional
activities. only that way intoday's world can we hope to create
a genuinely sustainable and durable future on this, wehave to
remember, our only, miraculous planet. i can only wish you all
every possible successin the future.
