Africa: Science and Technology Seen As Tools for Innovative Development
All Africa, February 13, 2012

G20 Priorities: Advance Sustainable Development, Bolster Fragile States
Council on Foreign Relations, February 14, 2012

New Web Tool To Improve Accuracy Of Global Land Cover Maps
Science Codex, February 14, 2012

Xi Seeks More United States-China Cooperation On Trade, Food Security
The Gazette, February 16, 2012

US-China To Sign 5-Year Cooperative Ag Agreement
Associated Press, February 16, 2012

Image Credit: Council on Foreign Relations

Global Food Security Center Hires Manager, Receives Grants
Lab Manager Magazine, February 7, 2012

Nestlé CEO Stresses Private And Public Sector Collaboration Is Needed To Address Global Food Crisis
Nestlé, February 8, 2012

Farm Productivity Slide Can Be Reversed, Researcher Fresco Says
Bloomberg Business Week, February 9, 2012

U.S., China Ag Symposium Announced
Southeast Farm Press, February 9, 2012

USDA Offers Mobile Access And More Efficient Online Tools For Farmers And Ranchers
United States Department of Agriculture, February 10, 2012

US To Contribute Over US$12 million To Agriculture Policy Research In Zambia
Lusaka Times, February 10, 2012

Image Credit: South Carolina Department of Agriculture

DuPont, a Global Harvest Initiative founding member, took steps toward addressing world hunger by announcing food security goals that it plans to meet by the year 2020 during its Food Security Goals forum on February 2 in Washington, DC. According to DuPont, one way in which these goals will be achieved is through greater collaboration among the private sector, governments and the NGO community.

DuPont Chair and CEO Ellen Kullman challenged the group to “turn talk into results” by establishing “specific measurable goals.” Kullman added, “No one company, country or non-profit organization can meet the challenge of feeding the world alone. But each of us can commit to doing our part and hold ourselves accountable to make a meaningful contribution to this global challenge.”

DuPont Executive Vice President James C. Borel outlined three specific areas that the company is focusing on to meet its food security goals:

• Innovating to Feed the World: Investing $10 billion in research and development and introducing 4,000 new products centered on producing more food; enhancing nutrition, food, and agriculture sustainability and safety; boosting food availability and shelf life; and reducing waste.
• Engaging and Educating Youth: Facilitate 2 million engagements of young people around the world in educational opportunities.
• Improving Rural Communities: Improving the livelihoods of at least 3 million farmers and their rural communities through targeted collaboration and investments that strengthen agricultural systems and make food more available, nutritious, and culturally appropriate.

Representatives from agricultural, political, and industrial sectors participated in the forum, and an expert panel discussed food security and DuPont’s three goals to address it. Panelists included Jo Luck, Former President and CEO of Heifer International; Gene White, Founder of the Global Child Nutrition Foundation; Jim Borel, EVP, DuPont, and former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle, who emphasized the importance of addressing world food security with the words of United Nations World Food Programme Executive Director Josette Sheeran, “When people don’t have food they have three options: they can revolt, they migrate, or they die.” Senator Daschle continued, “We know that isn’t acceptable. [And] that’s why we’re here.”

The DuPont food security goals were developed following a report issued in 2011 by the DuPont Advisory Committee on Agriculture Innovation and Productivity for the 21^st Century, chaired by Senator Daschle.

Learn more about DuPont’s food security goals here.

Listen to an audio interview with Jerry Flint, Vice President of Biotech Affairs and Regulatory division, DuPont and Chairman of the Board, Global Harvest Initiative.

Africa: New Soil Carbon Methodology Approved
All Africa, January 30, 2012

Time ripe for change as banana farmers embrace technology
Business Daily, January 30, 2012

UN launches information system to boost disaster prevention, food security measures
UN News Centre, January 31, 2012

How to boost agro-technology
China Daily, February 3, 2012

Africa Farms Need Crop Aids Tailored to Local Needs, DuPont Says
Bloomberg Business Week, February 3, 2012

• “We can help poor farmers sustainably increase their productivity so they can feed themselves and their families. By doing so, they will contribute to global food security. But that will happen only if we prioritize agricultural innovation….The world faces a clear choice. If we invest relatively modest amounts, many more poor farmers will be able to feed their families. If we don’t, one in seven people will continue living needlessly on the edge of starvation. My annual letter this year is an argument for making the choice to keep on helping extremely poor people build self-sufficiency.”

– Bill Gates, 2012 Annual Letter, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

• “Investing in agriculture brings one of the highest returns you can have,”

– Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever and Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012.

• “Poor rural farmers need better access to resources, better employment, lower food prices, more food production and more food stocks, including emergency reserves. I’m confident that we can feed the whole world. The problem is not supply—it is access to food and to natural resources like land and water. We need to figure out how to feed the world without depleting our natural resources.”

– José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

• “It’s clear that agriculture, done right, is the best means the world has today to simultaneously tackle food security, poverty and environmental degradation.”

– Irene Rosenfeld, Chairman and CEO of Kraft Foods.

• “With commodity prices high, farmers want yield. Feeding the world is going to be a big issue, and science is going to help that.”

– Ellen Kullman, Chair of the Board and CEO of DuPont.

To read more about the 2012 World Economic Forum meeting, please click the links below:

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/annual-letter/2012/Pages/home-en.aspx

http://www.wfp.org/stories/thought-leaders-davos-discuss-how-ensure-food-security

http://www.hu-online.org/index.php/j-stuff/category-blog/363-private-sector-grows-food-security

http://www.ingredientsnetwork.com/news-content/full/davos-2012-kraft-shares-a-vision-for-agriculture

http://www.cnbc.com/id/46164670

Image credit: World Economic Forum

How To Feed the World 40 Years From Now
The Nation, January 27, 2012

Insight from Davos: How Global Thought Leaders Talk About Innovation
Forbes, January 28, 2012

World Economic Forum Davos 2012: Opportunity to double or even triple food output, says Bill Gates
Economic Times, January 27, 2012

Thought Leaders At Davos Discuss How To Ensure Food Security
World Food Program News, January 26, 2012

New Report Outlines 6 Critical Success Factors to Drive Agriculture Transformations
MarketWatch, January 27, 2012

Davos day three: Who to watch
CNN International, January 27, 2012

Image Credit: World Food Program

The numerous speakers and panels indicated an optimistic outlook for the dairy industry but also pointed out its need to adapt to the numerous opportunities and challenges to which the growing global marketplace will bring. One such challenge highlighted at the Dairy Forum that is central to the mission of the Global Harvest Initiative is the growing global population and resulting consumer demand increase will have on the dairy industry.  This increase in consumer demand will require, among other things, a renewed focus on innovation and technology to raise agricultural output in order to feed the 9 billion people estimated to populate the earth by 2050.

Dr. William G. Lesher, Executive Director of the Global Harvest Initiative, was invited to speak on a panel at the Forum entitled, “Technology and Our Food Supply”. The panel addressed the question of the global dairy industry’s ability to sustainably and affordably provide enough output while balancing consumer acceptance of new technology and innovation. This issue represents one of GHI’s five policy priorities which must be addressed in order for the world to abundantly provide for the growing global population in a sustainable way that minimizes resources used.

The “Technology and Our Food Supply” panel, which featured Jeff Simmons, President of Elanco, Mitch Davis, Executive Vice President of Technology and Milk Production for Davisco Foods International, covered issues ranging from food costs and consumer trends to the supply chain challenges of future technologies that will be required to advance the dairy industry. The panel was in agreement that while there was no silver bullet solution, the embracing of new technologies represents one of the biggest opportunities to solve food supply challenges of the future in a sustainable way.

Image Credit: International Dairy Foods Association

Food security is a good investment for the future
MarketWatch, January 20, 2012

The global food reality
Siskiyou Daily News, January 18, 2012

Howard G. Buffett Foundation, Borlaug Institute collaborate to advance African agriculture, fight hunger
AgriLife Today, January 17, 2012

Modernizing agriculture key to boosting China’s food output
Straits Times, January 16, 2012

China Turns Predominantly Urban
The Wall Street Journal, January 18, 2012

Image credit: AgriLife Today

The panel I was invited to speak at, on behalf of Global Harvest Initiative, was entitled Ag Coalitions –  Making Your Voice Heard and included coalition co-panelists from Common Ground, U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, and The Hand that Feeds Us. Over 150 ASA members and farmers were in attendance to hear what coalitions were doing to make agriculture’s voice heard and frame the positive impact farmers are having on food security.

The panel addressed challenges and opportunities facing the agricultural industry today, and each represented coalition had the opportunity to discuss what they were doing to address these challenges. And while the coalitions had different target audiences, each believed in the benefits of agriculture and had a genuine desire to educate their audiences on the benefits of modern agriculture.

Ag must embrace science, collaboration, sustainability
Cattle Network, January 13, 2012

Addressing the need for competition and innovation in the seed marketplace
Plenty to Think About,  Jan 12, 2012

“Future We Want” proposals are not the future we need: WWF
WWF International, January 12, 2012

China’s agriculture white paper to show food security concerns
Economic Times, January 13, 2012

Will water scarcity increase tensions across Asia?
Forbes, January 11, 2012

US: Food cooperative improves safety, productivity with IBM analytics
Fresh Plaza, January 10, 2012

Image credit: World Wildlife Fund