Washington Post’s Live Webinar, Thursday, June 14th
Conference Agenda
Coverage by: Emily Barge, Lesley Fulop, Arianna Ames, Julie Tarallo, & Christine Gary
Summary by: Christine Gary
One in seven people worldwide go to bed hungry. Population growth is set to hit 9 billion by 2050. That is one loud collective rumbling of hungry tummies. Short of multiplying “five loaves and two fish,” current food production needs to double to keep pace with rising food demand and need. But how can it without ripping up soil, tearing down forests, using up water, and overtaxing our planet to the point of ruin? That is the overarching question posed to convened food expert panels in the Washington Post’s Live Webinar on the “Future of Food: Food Security in the 21st Century.”
Solutions to surmount challenges in food demand emphasize sustainable agricultural production. John Hopkins University’s Visiting Scholar, Robert Thompson, and Senator John Boozman vote to allocate investment dollars to agricultural research and technology. Samuel Allen, Deere & Company’s CEO, affirms agricultural innovations will increase yield and decrease costs. Across the panel, speakers support genetic engineering, albeit controversial in public opinion, as a “proven” technology that has been around for 16+ years. Orphan crops, like sorghum and millet, while not traded internationally, could have an important role in regional food security in Africa and Southeast Asia. Thompson asserts biotechnology research taps the genetic potential of plants. Scientists can now confer crop resilience against weather conditions. Rice, for instance, grows despite severe flooding. Maize grows despite drought. President of Land O'Lakes, Christopher Policinski, encourages driving productivity in traditional ways as well as very creative ways to arrive at more food output with fewer resource input.
People are more innovative when there are risks or costs. Senior Vice President of World Wildlife Fund Jason Clay argues that subsidies have hindered innovations in agriculture. Congress’ current “Farm Bill” may be on the same wavelength. Vilsack, who rebrands the “Farm Bill” a “Food, Farm and Jobs Bill,” as it better reflects wide reaching goals of legislation, reports that if passed, farmers will no longer receive direct payments in profitable years. Instead they’ll be offered crop insurance and revenue protection. These measures mitigate risks imposed by uncontrollable weather or market influences on the farm industry.
However, offering a safety net for farmers may not be enough to slow the workforce exodus away from farmlands. Currently less than 2% of Americans are farmers. Senator Jon Tester believes offering basic incentives like healthcare to farmers would attract and retain workers. Alternatively micro-lending might give young farmers a foothold. Ambassador Tony Hall, of the Alliance to End Hunger, assigns real value to making small loans – especially to women. “The money is always paid back and gets people working and fed.”
Speaking to the worth of benefit programs, Waxman applauds the SNAP program for transforming food security, saying that food security has improved as these benefits have grown. But benefits can only go so far. CEO of Select Milk Producers, Mike McCloskey, advocates using science-based knowledge to make food affordable. “At the farm,” he says, “we look at all of our activities so we can reuse, recycle and create a source of income from waste.” Waste isn’t just about food, it’s also a waste of resources used for production (i.e. water, fertilizer). This sustainability and efficiency drives down costs for consumers.
Andrea Thomas tells the retail side of trying to improve healthy food access in America. As Senior Vice President of Sustainability for Walmart Stores, Inc, she hopes Walmart’s “Healthier Food Initiative” nutrition labels dispel confusion in grocery aisles. The labels provide shoppers with clear nutrition criteria. She added that if people do more cooking at home, their nutrition generally goes up. “The challenge,” she admits, “is to get families to eat at home even with lots of crazy schedules.”
Conference Agenda
Coverage by: Emily Barge, Lesley Fulop, Arianna Ames, Julie Tarallo, & Christine Gary
Summary by: Christine Gary
One in seven people worldwide go to bed hungry. Population growth is set to hit 9 billion by 2050. That is one loud collective rumbling of hungry tummies. Short of multiplying “five loaves and two fish,” current food production needs to double to keep pace with rising food demand and need. But how can it without ripping up soil, tearing down forests, using up water, and overtaxing our planet to the point of ruin? That is the overarching question posed to convened food expert panels in the Washington Post’s Live Webinar on the “Future of Food: Food Security in the 21st Century.”
Global food insecurity is not something to ignore. According to Secretary of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, hungry people also become angry people. He points to high food costs as a powder keg for unrest in the Middle East. The more we address hunger, the more secure those nations will be, the more secure the USA will be. Sonny Ramaswamy, Director of USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, speaks to the ramifications of food insecurity in a child’s life. A lack of calories can stunt growth and mental development. Elaine Waxman, the Vice President of Research and Partnerships with Feeding America, bolsters his point. She considers food security a public health issue that empowers success in school and the work force.
Solutions to surmount challenges in food demand emphasize sustainable agricultural production. John Hopkins University’s Visiting Scholar, Robert Thompson, and Senator John Boozman vote to allocate investment dollars to agricultural research and technology. Samuel Allen, Deere & Company’s CEO, affirms agricultural innovations will increase yield and decrease costs. Across the panel, speakers support genetic engineering, albeit controversial in public opinion, as a “proven” technology that has been around for 16+ years. Orphan crops, like sorghum and millet, while not traded internationally, could have an important role in regional food security in Africa and Southeast Asia. Thompson asserts biotechnology research taps the genetic potential of plants. Scientists can now confer crop resilience against weather conditions. Rice, for instance, grows despite severe flooding. Maize grows despite drought. President of Land O'Lakes, Christopher Policinski, encourages driving productivity in traditional ways as well as very creative ways to arrive at more food output with fewer resource input.
People are more innovative when there are risks or costs. Senior Vice President of World Wildlife Fund Jason Clay argues that subsidies have hindered innovations in agriculture. Congress’ current “Farm Bill” may be on the same wavelength. Vilsack, who rebrands the “Farm Bill” a “Food, Farm and Jobs Bill,” as it better reflects wide reaching goals of legislation, reports that if passed, farmers will no longer receive direct payments in profitable years. Instead they’ll be offered crop insurance and revenue protection. These measures mitigate risks imposed by uncontrollable weather or market influences on the farm industry.
However, offering a safety net for farmers may not be enough to slow the workforce exodus away from farmlands. Currently less than 2% of Americans are farmers. Senator Jon Tester believes offering basic incentives like healthcare to farmers would attract and retain workers. Alternatively micro-lending might give young farmers a foothold. Ambassador Tony Hall, of the Alliance to End Hunger, assigns real value to making small loans – especially to women. “The money is always paid back and gets people working and fed.”
Speaking to the worth of benefit programs, Waxman applauds the SNAP program for transforming food security, saying that food security has improved as these benefits have grown. But benefits can only go so far. CEO of Select Milk Producers, Mike McCloskey, advocates using science-based knowledge to make food affordable. “At the farm,” he says, “we look at all of our activities so we can reuse, recycle and create a source of income from waste.” Waste isn’t just about food, it’s also a waste of resources used for production (i.e. water, fertilizer). This sustainability and efficiency drives down costs for consumers.
Andrea Thomas tells the retail side of trying to improve healthy food access in America. As Senior Vice President of Sustainability for Walmart Stores, Inc, she hopes Walmart’s “Healthier Food Initiative” nutrition labels dispel confusion in grocery aisles. The labels provide shoppers with clear nutrition criteria. She added that if people do more cooking at home, their nutrition generally goes up. “The challenge,” she admits, “is to get families to eat at home even with lots of crazy schedules.”
Turning the conversation back to global food security, Liz Schrayer, Executive Director of U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, reminds that it’s not just about feeding the world, it’s “teaching them how to fish.” It’s working with farmers to be more productive, building storage facilities and markets, and providing better food safety techniques. Thompson agrees that a better system of technology diffusion should be in place so that poverty-stricken regions and developing companies can increase productivity and independently feed themselves with sustainable means.
Is feeding the myriad masses within the next two decades feasible? Hall stipulates it is, provided we promote under-producing markets. Africa does not produce more food than it did 30 years ago. Ramaswamy summarizes three needed elements to feed 9 billion people in 20 years. 1. Scientific capacity funded by public investments. 2. Human capacity on the farm and enticements to court the next generation of land owners. 3. Lifelong food and agricultural education. Model and Activist Lauren Bush Lauren feels there is a ground swell of food security activism. Celebrity chefs like Jamie Oliver are making these issues accessible to the masses. Eager players are coming to the table, and they’re hungry, in more ways than one.
For more information
Facebook: Washington Post Live
Twitter hashtag: #thinkfood
For more information
Facebook: Washington Post Live
Twitter hashtag: #thinkfood
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