Phil Karsting, Administrator of the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, challenged the world’s leading agricultural producers to embrace innovation and make decisions based on science to feed the world’s hungry.
Speaking on Monday, August 24, at the USA Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015, Karsting said that according to the World Food Program, some 795 million people in the world do not have enough food to lead healthy, active lives. That is fewer than last year, but still far too high. At the same time, the world’s agriculture and food system faces many challenges: a growing world population; natural resource uncertainties exacerbated by climate change; and mounting demand for energy.
“Global food security is not an insular discussion,” Karsting said. “All nations have a role to play in supporting agricultural growth and driving the innovation we need to survive and thrive.”
Karsting cautioned that the status quo in agriculture is not sustainable and that there is no magic bullet. “What is important is that farmers have a full set of tools to confront the multiple challenges we face,” he said.
Countries also must recognize that trade and efficient markets are critical to global food security. “Trade encourages countries to implement policies that promote both investment and innovation and allow for more reliable food supplies,” he said.
We can achieve global food security and conserve natural resources and take care of the environment, Karsting said. That’s why scientists are working on technologies and methods to use what more efficiently, to improve soil conservation, and increase productivity of the soil itself.
Global food security demands that that we allow the best agricultural practices and technologies to be widely available,” Karsting said. “Whether the innovation is re-introducing a traditional practice in a new area or introducing a new technology in a traditional sector, we need to create space for all types of agri-food production to flourish.”
That’s why the theme for the USA Pavilion is American Food 2.0: United to Feed the Planet. The Pavilion showcases the United States as an innovator not only in the food sector, but also in many aspects of culture, science and business. Feeding ourselves engages a massive infrastructure, advanced technologies, and dynamic systems that touch on just about every aspect of the world we live in.
Karsting added that no one country can do it alone. It will take all of us, working together, opening our minds and our borders, and the U.S.-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) is an excellent place to start.