November December 2024 - 38

PERSPECTIVES | BY MICHELLE KLIEGER
Overlap between
the practical and
the economic
Some of my friends in business might be surprised to
learn that my path into the economics of agriculture began
with a pursuit of medicine. As a college student interning
at a South African wildlife rehabilitation center, I found
myself at a crossroads. A farmer offered to trap a leopard
that was killing his livestock if we could relocate it instead
of killing it.
We wanted to save one leopard but the situation was
far more complex than that. There were not enough
places to relocate an animal where the cycle of livestock
predation wouldn't be repeated over and over. I realized
that any solution we came up with would have to consider
more than a single animal. It would have to factor in local
livelihoods, ecosystems and developing infrastructure.
The experience made me realize I wanted to be a part of
broader conversations.
This story can be found all over the globe. Farmers,
ranchers, wild animals, plants and growing numbers of
Most of the people
pursuing interaction
with others in
agriculture realize
that collaboration
and innovation
will help us solve
complex agricultural
challenges faster.
38 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 GPNMAG.COM
people are vying for the same locations and resources.
I decided in South Africa, the next step for me was to
become part of figuring out how to grow and produce
more food on less land. If we could accomplish that, and
at the same time develop more efficient ways of moving
the food where it's needed, then the leopard might have a
home and the plants, animals and people would also have
more tools to thrive.
That decision has taken me all over the world and given
me the opportunity to help a wide variety of companies
understand their supply chains. When it comes to using
the land to produce a product, every business has to
discover where practicality intersects with smart economic
decision-making.
Our food, environmental and transportation systems
are complex, and every business is working to accomplish
something a little bit different. I enjoy figuring out how
your business interacts with systems and at what level you
can make changes to get your desired result.
BRANCHING OUT IN AGRICULTURE
My company, Stratagerm Consulting, is the product of
many years spent deep diving into nuanced supply chains.
It was built from studying how we produce, transport,
market and trade our agricultural products in sustainable
ways. And, it's the solution to a problem I recognized in
the agriculture sector at large.
Within ag, we are very siloed and niched. We have
our subsectors and our expertise, and while we need
people to be specialized, I realized that lessons learned
in one area are rarely shared with other sectors. There is
probably something you know or built that would benefit
another agricultural industry, but how do you deliver
that information?
I love working across different parts of agriculture;
understanding different crops and production systems, the
geography of an area and the animals and horticulture that
are impacted by those production systems. I love it all. My
cross-ag approach lets me see what other groups are doing
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November December 2024

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