Global Food Security Conference Focuses on the Challenges of Climate Change

By -
The Honorable Susan Rice, U.S. National Security Advisor, 
discusses Food Security Challenges for the 21st Century 
(Photo courtesy of The Chicago Council @ChicagoCouncil)
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs recently convened their annual Global Food Security Symposium and the 2014 topic was "Advancing Global Food Security in the Face of Weather Volatility and Climate Change," an extremely important issue facing all stakeholders in the agriculture sector. The symposium had a wide array of speakers from government, universities, non-profit organizations, corporations, and farmers. US government representatives included some key speakers like Secretary Tom Vilsack, US Department of Agriculture; Susan E. Rice, US National Security Advisor; and Administrator Rajiv Shah, US Agency for International Development, who discussed US policy as it relates to food security and climate change and also announcing a new USAID nutrition strategy and gave updates on the recent Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition Initiative, in which USDA is taking the lead.

Representatives from the foundation and non-profit world, including from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Earth Policy Institute, Food Tank, the World Wildlife Fund, and others, shared strategies and highlighted projects seeking to mitigate the impacts of climate change not just on food production but on all levels of the value chains and also discussed opportunities to enhance and preserve the natural resource base for adaptation and mitigation. Speakers from the private sector, such as Syngenta, Nestle, the Swiss Reinsurance Company, and Buffett Farms Nebraska LLC, shared their ideas about managing risk, water stresses, science and research investments, and new technologies that can help with climate-smart agriculture.

At the symposium, the Chicago Council released their new report that urges the US government to include climate change adaption and related issues in it's global food security strategy. The full report can be found here but it came up with four primary recommendations (below, as stated in the report):
  • Make global food security one of the highest priorities of US economic and foreign development policy
  • Bolster research on climate change impacts and solutions, increase funding for data collection, and partner widely
  • Include climate change adaptation in trade negotiations
  • Advance climate change adaptation and mitigation through partnerships
Partners' Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program has been working in several areas to help farmers adapt to the impacts of climate change. Partners’ expertise in key areas of project sustainability in light of climate change variability have been an essential first step. Technical assistance in integrated pest management, water use and conservation, forest management, crop diversification, and biofuels, to name a few, help provide solutions to changing climatic conditions that impact agriculture. And this work continues in the current F2F Program. If you have skills related to these or other topics linked to climate change adaption, check out what volunteer opportunities are available in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Better Marketing and Communications to Showcase the Work of our Hosts in Colombia

By -
Image
Salva Terra Foundation has focused on supporting vulnerable communities through sustainable agriculture. They work with impoverished populations and victims of violence in Medellin and aim to promote farming and develop local skills to work in the agricultural industry in an ecological manner. This process of bringing together concepts such as social impact, sustainable development, environmental protection, and food security requires excellent outreach and promotion. Therefore, they requested a F2F volunteer to help them develop a communication and marketing plan. The chosen volunteer for this assignment was Dr. Sindy Chapa. She has a B.A. in Mass Media Communications, with a Minor in Television and Art Design, an MBA, and Ph.D. in International Business/Marketing. She is the Director and Associate Professor at the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University and has won several communications awards. Dr. Chapa decided to use Salva Terra as one of the case
Read more

My First Goat: A Professor, Students, and some Goats Tackle Food Insecurity in Rural Guatemala

By -
Image
Two Worlds Come Together to Build New Solutions against Malnutrition What does a USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) expert volunteer group from the island of Puerto Rico have to do with combatting food insecurity in Guatemala? Everything.  F2F volunteer Gabriela Colón Rios trains Mam Indigenous women to better care for their goats which will improve food security and reduce high malnourishment rates. Chiantla, Guatemala. Photo Credit: Monica Gonzalez In March 2023, a group of five eager F2F volunteers arrived in Huehuetenango (Huehue), Guatemala, with hearts and minds set on combatting food insecurity in a part of the world unknown to them.  Over the next 10 days, this team of experts would consider Huehue, in Guatemala’s Western Highland region, their new home and office. Accompanying them on their mission would be faithful companions and mighty conduits of change: goats.  Communities in this region live at altitudes reaching 10,000 feet above sea level nestled by captivating mountai
Read more

Digital Marketing in Colombia

By -
Image
Digital Marketing is one way that entrepreneurs and producers across the globe can reach new markets and increase sales. But what is digital marketing and how can a small Colombian business use it to maximize the number of people who come across its brand? These are the questions that Zen Naturals was asking itself. Zen Naturals is a natural cosmetic manufacturing company based in Cali, Colombia. Zen Naturals develops natural cosmetics made from exotic ingredients from Colombia’s outstanding biodiversity. Through ethical manufacturing and fair trade practices, they are also taking a leadership role in re-investing in the communities that grow the ingredients used in their products. Currently, Zen Naturals supports more than 95 Colombian quinoa farming communities through Fair-Trade Practices and technical assistance on their production. Zen Naturals is preparing to launch their quinoa facial care products in Whole Foods Markets in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. in 2017.
Read more