The Critical Link between Agriculture and Nutrition: Recap of the Global Food Security Symposium

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The Honorable Tom Vilsack, US Secretary of Agriculture, 
discusses "Investing in Smart, Collaborative Science 
to Address 21st Century Challenges"
On April 16th, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs hosted the Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security in Washington, DC. Partners' Agriculture and Food Security Senior Director, Peggy Carlson, had the opportunity to attend and hear speakers and panels that included everyone from Allison Aubrey, Food & Health Correspondent at NPR News; to Shawn Baker, Director, Nutrition, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and the Honorable Dan Coats, Member, US Senate (R-IN). Panel topics included: How the Private Sector is Moving the Needle on Health, Universities at the Foundation of the Fight Against Hunger, and A Health Sensitive Food Supply

Douglas Bereuter co-chaired the event. He currently is involved in the Global Agricultural Development Initiative at The Chicago Council and is a Former Member of the US House of Representatives but more importantly to Partners, he is one of the founders and sponsors of the Farmer-to-Farmer Program. Ms. Carlson had the opportunity to talk with him about F2F and his fondness for the program and he will be participating in the program's 30th Anniversary events later in 2015.

One of the main purposes of the event was to launch The Chicago Council's new report: "Healthy Food for a Healthy World: Leveraging Agriculture and Food to Improve Global Nutrition," This report looks at the important role agriculture and the food sector play in reducing malnutrition around the world. The report, which can be found here, recommends that:

  • The US Congress commit to a long-term global food and nutrition strategy focused on agricultural development and convene a bipartisan Commission on how to tackle nutrition challenges globally.
  • The US government, in partnership with universities and research institutes, increase funding for nutrition research to expand access to nutrient-rich foods and address malnutrition.
  • The US draw on the strength of its research facilities and universities to train the next generation of agriculture, food, and nutrition leaders both here and in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
    • Panelists discuss a health-sensitive food supply.
  • Government and industry work together to support more efficient and wider delivery of healthy foods, especially through technologies that can reduce food waste and enhance food safety.
The symposium was an excellent opportunity to hear from a variety of public and private sector speakers addressing the importance of agriculture and nutrition and offering creative ideas to address some of the challenges. Partners was live-tweeting the event via @PartnersAgFood and we regularly share information about important events like this. Follow us for updates and to read more about the Symposium, see speaker bios, and watch video of some of the sessions, you can visit the website.

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