USAID/Feed the future: Updating the Global Food Security Research Strategy

7 October 2021. Updating the Global Food Security Research Strategy: New Evidence and Opportunities

U.S. Government agencies that are part of the Feed the Future initiative will develop an updated U.S. Government’s Global Food Security Research Strategy to help achieve sustainable reductions in hunger, poverty and malnutrition through science, technology and innovation.

Resource: USAID Global Food Security Research Strategy 39 p.

This webinar introduced plans for updating the Research Strategy.

• Robert Bertram Chief Scientist, USAID Bureau for Resilience and Food Security Rob Bertram is the Chief Scientist in USAID’s Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, where he serves as a key adviser on a range of technical and program issues to advance global food security and nutrition. 
• Renee Lafitte Deputy Director for Crops R&D, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Renee Lafitte is Deputy Director for Crops R&D in the Agricultural Development group at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She has a background in crop physiology, agronomy, and agro-ecology, with experience in technology 
• Shibani Ghosh Research Associate Professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy Shibani Ghosh is a public health nutritionist and Research Associate Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy within the Food and Nutrition Policy and Programs Division. 
• 
  Keith Fuglie Economist, U.S. Department of Agriculture Keith Fuglie is an economist with the Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he conducts research on the economics of technological change and science policy for agriculture. 
• Angela
  Records Science Advisor, USAID Bureau for Resilience and Food Security Angela Records is a Science Advisor in the Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, where she manages crop improvement, plant disease, and postharvest handling research programs.

Shared resources: 

• 
  CAST Releases New Commentary on “The Role of Agricultural Science and Technology inClimate 21 Project Implementation” 
  The food supply chain in the United States has been actively partnering with farmers and ranchers to reduce the environmental impact of agricultural operations in the country over the past 15 years. Food supply chains from the field to the plate are complex, with many different arrangements ranging from direct contracts between growers and food brands common in specialty crops, to the large-scale commingling of commodity grains used in food, feed, and fuel that makes traceability of food products back to an individual farm challenging. innovation in economic and social fields is critical to creating favorable environments where adoption of new mitigation practices and technology by farmers and ranchers is incentivized. The desirable goal is to empower farmers and ranchers to incorporate mitigation practices and technology into their operations because they are environmentally and productively advantageous.
• Promoting The Green Revolution in Asia As Solely Technology Driven: A Major Disservice to Africa
  While it is very true that Asia has benefited from a major green revolution in rice production, leading to most Asian counties becoming self-sufficient in rice and other food production. It is WRONG to attribute this success solely to technology development mostly in the form of high yielding varieties and it is misleading and a major disservice in promoting a similar green revolution for Africa only through technical advances.