Global Food for Thought

Norman Borlaug Centennial Q&A with Margaret Catley-Carlson

This post was originally published by the World Food Prize Foundation. The World Food Prize 2014 Borlaug Dialogue international symposium is being held from October 15 – 17 in Des Moines, Iowa to address the question: “Can we sustainably feed the 9 billion people on our planet by the year 2050?”

Norman Borlaug Centennial Q&A's with Experts

In order to shine a spotlight on the amazing agricultural work being done today, and in honor of the Borlaug Centennial year, The World Food Prize invited 2014 Borlaug Dialogue speakers and experts from around the globe to respond to questions regarding their work, their goals and their inspiration.

Margaret Catley-Carlson, Water Expert and Member of the World Food Prize Council of Advisors

If Norman Borlaug posed the following questions to you- what would you tell him?

Q. What’s the one thing – the single most important – that we need to address to solve food insecurity?

A. There is no single thing – that’s why it is so difficult.  Are there roads?  Is there any access of ag inputs?  Is water supply reliable?  Any access to improved seeds?  Any access to credit?  Is it blocked by ownership arrangements for females? And on and on.  Each one of these can be THE single most important, depending on the circumstances – and they interact.

Q. Do you think we can feed 9 billion people by the year 2050? If so, why? If not, why not?

A. We could but we probably won’t. Problems of the poor just aren’t that interesting to the relevant national governments.

Q. Where are the biggest gaps right now in the food system?

A. I really think Extension services – either new forms of electronic communication if they work and really talk to people and are accessible, or more classic forms.  Next would be rural roads.

Q. What’s one piece of advice you would give to young people?

A. If you want to help, start by listening.  Don’t start by bringing solutions to problems.  Understand problems.

Q. How would you explain what you do, and why it’s important, to a 10-year-old?

A. Many people in the world don’t have access all the time to the water they need for their families and to grow food.  All over the world, there are groups and people and governments trying to help them; I try to make these more effective and efficient.

Q. Within your area of expertise, what is one misunderstood or neglected topic you could shed some light on for readers?

A. Genetically modified foods, and the need to pay for water services or systems will suffer.

Q. What is the most interesting project going on right now – yours or someone else’s - that more people should know about?

A. Fertilizer Deep Placement – 2 million Asian farmers have increased yield and decreased fertilizer use AND therefore water pollution.  It could work for the Toledo reservoir and reduce hypoxic zones in the Gulf of Mexico, too.

Q. What’s one thing the general population could do to make an impact on global food security?

A. Stop wasting food – today – in restaurants, from lunch boxes, from your own refrigerator.  If 40% of the food grown is wasted or thrown out, that’s the equivalent of throwing out 40% of the water we use to grow food (and 70%+ of our water use goes to food).

Q. What is one of your favorite quotes or words to live by?

A. "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." - Albert Einstein

Q. Share with us one of your most unique life experiences and what it taught you.

A. Sitting on a hillside in India, looking at a valley that was restored simply by changing the social arrangements to give the rural people access and ownership and the ability to gain livelihoods – and therefore interest in protecting it.  As I sat in the warm autumn sun, a spring which had reappeared after being non-existent for years glinted in the sun – and a peacock swooped down and washed his extended tail feathers in the sparkling water.  Four years earlier, the little valley was desertified and the spring was dry.  What it taught me?  Ask what the problems are before rushing in with solutions.  They may be very simple – but since power relationships are always involved, very difficult.

Guest Commentary - Critical Factors to Meet the Greatest Challenge in Human History

By Margaret M. Zeigler

This week, close to two thousand leaders from across the United States and the globe came together in Des Moines, Iowa to debate, discuss, learn and forge solutions to feed the world. The World Food Prize 2014 Borlaug Dialogue, honoring Dr. Norman Borlaug who pioneered the green revolution agriculture technologies in wheat that helped feed millions of poor farmers in India and Pakistan in the 1960’s, centered upon the greatest challenge in human history. By 2050, there will be 9.6 billion people on the planet, most of whom will now be participating in middle class economies and eating more protein based diets. The world’s greatest challenge lies before us: how will we feed the world’s growing middle class by 2050, in the face of climate change, and with limited natural resources?

There is an urgent need for farmers to find new ways to adapt to volatile weather and climate change patterns that we face. Population and income growth are increasing the demand for food, feed, fiber and fuel. The emerging consensus by economists, scientists, political leaders, and farmers participating in the World Food Prize is simple: we must act now to produce food sustainably in the face of climate change. As the devastating drought in California and the southwest of the United States enters its third year, the message is being driven home – improving productivity and new methods and practices in agriculture, coupled with technological innovation and clear public policies will be the solutions to feed the world using less water and land, and conserving the resource base.

There are three critical pieces to in this productivity goal – maize, rice, and wheat, the “Big Three” staple crops that the world depends on. If the current trends are not altered, by 2050 climate change could decrease global maize yields by up to 18 percent, rice yields could drop by 7 percent, and wheat yields could decline by up to 36 percent. 

So how can farmers in the US, and indeed the rest of the world, be supported to become more resilient to the changing climate and ensure we all have enough food on our tables? 

Norman Borlaug Centennial Q&A with Ndidi Nwuneli

This post was originally published by the World Food Prize Foundation. The World Food Prize 2014 Borlaug Dialogue international symposium is being held from October 15 – 17 in Des Moines, Iowa to address the question: “Can we sustainably feed the 9 billion people on our planet by the year 2050?”

Norman Borlaug Centennial Q&A's with Experts

 In order to shine a spotlight on the amazing agricultural work being done today, and in honor of the Borlaug Centennial year, The World Food Prize invited 2014 Borlaug Dialogue speakers and experts from around the globe to respond to questions regarding their work, their goals and their inspiration.

Ndidi Nwuneli, Co-founder of AACE Foods

If Norman Borlaug posed the following questions to you- what would you tell him?

Q: Where are the biggest gaps right now in the food system?

A: Tremendous global effort is being placed on the importance of seed, soil health and protection systems to increase yields. However, in West Africa 20-60% of produce goes to waste, with significant variability by value chain, because there has been little to no focus on storage, logistics and processing. There is an urgent need to invest in addressing this glaring imbalance if we plan on seriously addressing the food security crises that confronts the West African region.

Q: What’s one piece of advice you would give to young people?

A: To young people, I urge you to use your talents, time, and energy to change our world for the better. I pray that you will find your life’s purpose early in life, and that you will pursue it passionately, diligently and ethically.

Q: How would you explain what you do, and why it’s important, to a 10-year-old?

A: I am a social entrepreneur. What this means is that I work with others to create organizations to address some of the most pressing challenges facing my people. 

LEAP Africa is focused on creating a new generation of principled, dynamic and creative leaders on the African continent, by providing training, coaching and research. We work with young people and business owners and help them become change leaders. Since we started, LEAP has published 10 books and trained over 30,000 people, who have started over 500 change projects, impacting over 200,000 people in their communities.

AACE Foods sources herbs, cereals and grains from smallholder farmers and makes them into spices, sauces and food for the Nigerian population. Our products are sold in supermarkets across the country and are also used by other large companies to prepare food. 

Sahel Capital provides advice and financing to enterprises who work in agriculture to enable them grow and employ more people.

Q: What is the most interesting project going on right now – yours or someone else’s - that more people should know about?

A: Over the past few years, there have been significant innovations in financing in the agribusiness landscape in Nigeria, linked to the Agricultural Transformation Agenda being spearheaded by Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the Honorable Minister of Agriculture. 

I am fortunate to be engaged in one of such innovations called the Fund for Agriculture Finance in Nigeria (FAFIN) which Sahel Capital – a leading agribusiness fund management and advisory firm focused on West Africa– was recently selected to manage in late 2013. This $100 million private equity fund was initiated by the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the German government via KFW Development Bank, and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority to address the large gap in long-term, growth-oriented finance for SMEs in the agricultural sector. 

FAFIN is an innovative, agriculture-focused investment fund that provides tailored capital and technical assistance solutions to commercially viable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and intermediaries across the agricultural sector in Nigeria using quasi-equity, equity and debt instruments to structure investments. The Fund will invest in such enterprises as part of its mission to catalyze agriculture-led inclusive investment growth in Nigeria, and increase the amount of commercial capital available for agriculture in the country.  Investments will be made in a range of companies which include input providers, producers, processors, logistics and warehouse providers, and financial intermediaries that help catalyze additional capital for SMEs operating along the agricultural value chain.

In addition through FAFIN’s Technical Assistance Facility, which is a unique component of the Fund, it will provide capacity building to agro-processors in which it invests to enable them more effectively partner with smallholder farmers. This could include the provision of extension services, and access to improved seeds and fertilizer, which would enhance farmer yields and livelihoods. 

Ultimately, FAFIN will enhance food security and generate inclusive growth in the agriculture sector, including job and wealth creation, while generating commercial returns for its investors.

As a partner with Sahel Capital, I actively engaged in raising funds for the Technical Assistance Facility and building partnerships with organizations that are interested in supporting agricultural development in Nigeria.

Q: What’s one thing the general population could do to make an impact on global food security?

A: The general population must embrace locally grown and processed food and discard the belief that “foreign” food is higher quality and better for them and locally produced food is inferior. This mindset continues to cripple many agroprocessors in Africa who struggle to compete with importers, and this invariably affects the entire agricultural landscape in the region. Sadly, many of the products that come back into Africa as processed products were actually exported from the same countries as raw materials. In addition, while the government has an important role to play in creating an enabling environment for their local agroprocessing industry, sustained demand from the local population will ensure that these agroprocessors can survive and thrive in the medium-long term, and eventually be able to compete globally. This will, in turn, strengthen agricultural value chains in the countries, creating opportunities for all actors, ensuring local investment, profitable growth and food security.

Q: What is one of your favorite quotes or words to live by?

A: My favorite quote is an African proverb which states, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go with others.” I strongly believe that we can only sustainably address the global food security crises when we partner across sectors, regions, disciplines and divides, sharing knowledge and expertise and human and financial resources, to collectively develop and implement innovative solutions. 

Norman Borlaug Centennial Q&A with Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram

This post was originally published by the World Food Prize Foundation. The 2014 Borlaug Dialogue international symposium is being held from October 15-17 in Des Moines, Iowa to address the question: “Can we sustainably feed the 9 billion people on our planet by the year 2050?”

Norman Borlaug Centennial Q&A's with Experts

In order to shine a spotlight on the amazing agricultural work being done today, and in honor of the Borlaug Centennial year, The World Food Prize invited 2014 Borlaug Dialogue speakers and experts from around the globe to respond to questions regarding their work, their goals and their inspiration.

Sanjaya Rajaram, Ph.D

Wheat Breeder and 2014 World Food Prize Laureate
Resource Seeds International, Mexico and India

If Norman Borlaug posed the following questions to you- what would you tell him?

Q: What’s the one thing – the single most important – that we need to address to solve food insecurity?

A: Perhaps there is enough food produced in the world. The most pressing problems I see are the lack of income and consequently buying power. Unemployment or under-employment is very high in low income sectors of society, especially in developing countries such as India. Some kind of training for work would solve this problem.

Q: Do you think we can feed 9 billion people by the year 2050? If so, why? If not, why not?

A: My response is that we can.  Some technological and policy interventions are needed.

These are applications of biotechnological tools, such as GM technology, to offset the effects of climate change, balancing the soil health through ameliorating micronutrients, optimizing the water use efficiency and embracing hybrid technology on a large scale, global scenario, especially on small farms.

Q: What’s one piece of advice you would give to young people?

A: Try to broaden the horizon of knowledge through a multidisciplinary approach. Do not see science through the eye of a needle; try to see the forest and not one tree. Do not get discouraged if failures come. Do not give up.

Q: What’s one thing the general population could do to make an impact on global food security?

A: In developing countries, need to bring the population down. There is no short cut to it for food security. Through technological interventions we only buy time.

Q: Share with us one of your most unique life experiences and what it taught you.

A: Humility does not mean weakness, rather respect for others. My life mission remains service to others in the broader aspect. I really do not accept failures as defeat.

Losing the Plot? Agricultural Research Policy and the 2014 Farm Bill

This post originally appeared on Choices Magazine.

By Philip G. Pardey, Jason M. Beddow, and Steven T. Buccola

A large part of U.S. agricultural output and its competiveness in international commodity markets is attributable to research-induced gains in productivity accumulated over the 20^th century. In 2012, the United States accounted for a sizable share (9.5% by value) of the global food, feed, and fiber economy. This is substantially smaller than its 1961 share of 14.8% (United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 2014). Over the same period, the Asia-Pacific region (including India and China) grew its global share from 24.2% to 45.1%. Productivity growth in U.S. agriculture has declined along with its global market share. For the post-World War II period through 1990, agricultural productivity—measured by accounting for changes in the use of multiple factors of production—grew on average by 2.1% per year, but dropped to almost half that rate (1.2% per year) during the subsequent two decades (Pardey, Alston, and Chan-Kang, 2013).

As the 21^st century unfolds, a question of major importance is whether a continuation of contemporary trends in public investments in research and development (R&D) are sufficient to preserve or enhance past productivity gains and ensure the United States remains competitive in global agricultural markets (Alston et al., 2010, especially chapter 11). While the links between R&D investments and changes in productivity are difficult to disentangle, there is compelling evidence that these investments continue to yield relatively large social dividends (Hurley, Rao, and Pardey, 2014), but with several major, and politically crippling, caveats. The lags between investing in R&D and realizing returns on those investments are long (often spanning decades), and the benefits are diffuse, accruing to a broad range of producers and consumers, and not limited to any particular political jurisdiction or constituency. It is, therefore, harder for politicians to reap short-term electoral benefits by acting in a far-sighted fashion for the country’s long-run economic and environmental gains. Nevertheless, decisions taken now will have potentially profound consequences for U.S. and global agriculture at least through the middle of this century.

So how have political commitments to the public investments in R&D that affect the food and agricultural sectors fared of late? Are the institutional arrangements for funding and performing public agricultural R&D evolving in ways that will lead to a robust future for U.S. agriculture?  Are the investment and institutional changes envisaged in the 2014 Farm Bill sufficient in light of substantive shifts in the roles of public versus private R&D within the United States, and the position of the United States in global innovation markets for food and agriculture? 

Read the full story on Choices Magazine >

Commentary - Nutrition Interventions from the Lab to the Field

By Elise Ellinger

As a student in nutrition and international development, I have strived to develop a variety of skills in the fields of food security and nutrition. My experiences so far have convinced me that ensuring global food security requires a breadth of measures, from the lab to the field, in order to attain sustainable solutions to these pressing problems.

As a student at the University of Illinois, I conduct research in Food Science and Human Nutrition, under the direction of Dr. Juan Andrade. I analyze fortified blended foods to test for values of specific micronutrients. Although vitamins and minerals are vital for health, vitamin deficiencies are not immediately physically evident, unlike calorie deficiency, or ‘starvation.’ But micronutrient deficiencies can be just as detrimental as calorie deficiency, leading to health problems like blindness, mental impairment, and even death. Fortifying these vitamins and minerals into foods is therefore an important solution that not only requires insight into food chemistry but also sociology and economics. For example, I analyzed Corn Soya Blend, which is a porridge given to children in school lunch programs worldwide by the World Food Programme and USAID. It contains a bountiful supply of micronutrients, but through our analysis we learned that when the product is improperly prepared, the nutrients are severely diminished, because vital nutrients can be destroyed through high cooking temperatures, sunlight, and humid storage conditions. I realized that the interventions necessary to resolve these issues depend on technical expertise as well as careful consideration of the entire supply chain and sociological influence, such as educating caregivers on the proper preparation techniques and storage.

My field experience in Latin America taught me about nutrition interventions beyond technical laboratory work. In my field research, I supported a PhD candidate’s analysis of the correlation between food security, diet diversity, coping strategies, and other livelihood factors in rural Honduras and Guatemala. We traveled to several rural communities and went door-to-door surveying households on these indicators. Suddenly, the effects of malnutrition were no longer a dataset for me, but a child with cloudy eyes whose height falls far below their developmental average.

Food Security Is in Jeopardy

This post originally appeared on The Hill.

By Former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD)

There is growing consensus that the two issues that will define the lives of future generations are climate change and food security. At this week’s United Nations Climate Summit 2014: Catalyzing Action, world leaders will address both of these challenges and the solutions necessary to minimize their impact on the globe.

The two are increasingly more intertwined and more pressing with each passing year. Climate change has long led to tension-filled debates focused on the “who” and the “why,” distracting us from the problem itself and the solutions necessary to address it.

But new studies and reports, highlighting the effect of climate change on food and nutrition security in the coming decades, are driving a different, less politicized dialogue around this important issue — a step that is critical to embracing the innovation necessary to mitigate its impact.

In a sense, while most of us were not looking, we created the perfect storm — no pun intended. How else do you explain having to feed more than 9 billion people by the middle of the century, while our increasingly volatile weather threatens the food and agriculture that we must rely on to accomplish that goal?

Read the full story via The Hill >

Guest Commentary - Food Security for a Warming World: It’s All In The Science

By Frank Rijsberman

What does climate change have to do with the food on our tables? Just ask farmers in Nicaragua who have lost 2,500 cattle in the worst drought since 1976. Or the dairy and livestock producers in California set to make $203 million loss this year as the state enters its third year of drought.

It is clear that climate change already has a palpable impact on our food supply. Following UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Climate Summit on September 23, I urge global leaders to recognize the profound difference that investing in agricultural research is already making to those most vulnerable to climate change – the millions of farmers on its front line.

CGIAR scientists, from our dedicated Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security, are leading the charge uncovering “climate-smart” innovations that will help these farmers continue to put food on all of our tables. Climate-smart agriculture helps farmers to not only meet targets for production whilst adapting to the challenges that climate change poses, but it also helps farmers lower their own carbon footprint, to minimize future impacts on the environment. This can mean combining indigenous and scientific knowledge to provide 2 million farmers in Senegal with weather forecasts via community radio, so they have a better handle on rainfall patterns. Or, it can mean working with private insurance companies in India to provide a pay out to farmers when rainfall drops below a certain threshold during a growing season.

As temperatures creep up, vital water resources become more and more scarce. As agriculture accounts for around 70% of water use, innovations to save water on the farm will be crucial. In the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, dry seasons are becoming longer, there are more dry spells during rainy seasons and the problem of saline water intruding into fields is getting worse. These trends mean that there is less water available for irrigation than before. Thanks to work spearheaded by the International Rice Research Institute over a thousand rice farmers in the region are successfully using the water-saving technique known as alternate wetting and drying (AWD). This entails farmers monitoring water levels above and below the soil surface and only irrigating when they fall below certain point. As a result, they were able to cut the frequency of irrigation by two-thirds compared to farmers not practicing AWD. They also used 30% less water, and needed to apply less fertilizer and insecticide. Altogether, they made substantial cost savings while at the same time obtaining higher yields.

The rural poor need not only worry about their food supplies, but also their fragile livelihoods that can be destroyed in an instant when extreme weather hits. Research carried out by the Center for International Forestry Research has discovered ways that communities in Indonesia are using forests to protect their homes. Local policies are springing up that ban tree cutting along rivers, so that forests can absorb water deluges. In other communities, profits from wood sales are being put towards repair work after floods have hit.

We heard the UN Secretary-General’s call for bold commitments to catalyse climate action. CGIAR scientists will gather in New York on September 25 for our first-ever “Development Dialogues” to showcase the many concrete solutions for climate action our scientists have been working to uncover. We come to New York with the commitment to dedicated at least 60% of our funding to climate-smart agriculture. We pledge to reach half a billion farmers with climate-smart technologies.

CGIAR is just as ambitious as the UN Secretary-General. We believe we can end hunger and poverty in our lifetimes, and we can do it whilst protecting our planet. It’s just all in the science. 

Frank Rijsberman is Chief Executive Officer of CGIAR Consortium.

Can the World Feed 9 Billion? Implications for Nebraska

This post originally appeared on the Lincoln Journal Star.

By Doug Bereuter, Cochair, The Chicago Council's Global Agricultural Development Initiative; President Emeritus, The Asia Foundation

During my service in the US Congress I had the opportunity to serve on the House Select Committee on Hunger for its entire life until it was eliminated in 1995.

Although it also was active on domestic hunger and nutrition issues, as I was, my simultaneous membership on the House Foreign Affairs Committee shaped my interest in global agricultural and food security issues. My interest in those subjects was further enhanced during my subsequent leadership of the Asia Foundation, where I saw firsthand the severe undernourishment and related disease problems in large, impoverished parts of Southeast and South Asia.

These experiences, and a greater knowledge of the global food security issues, have motivated me to serve on an advisory panel for The Chicago Council on Global Affairs' Global Agricultural Development Initiative since early 2008. The bipartisan white paper we timely prepared that year was delivered to both the McCain and Obama campaigns. Its primary recommendations began to be put in place early the next year by President Obama, with congressional support, in the form of USAID's Feed the Future program. It was then leveraged internationally through the administration's initiatives at the subsequent G-20 and G-8 summits.

Read the full story via the Lincoln Journal Star >

Guest Commentary - Building Resilience in the Face of Climate Change and Weather Shocks

This post originally appeared on the IFPRI blog.

By Laura Zseleczky, Research Analyst, Director General’s Office, IFPRI

“As the food system grows more fragile, climate change and increasingly volatile weather are reducing agricultural productivity globally…There is an urgent need for strategies to build resilience for the world’s farmers in order to adapt to these changing conditions to achieve both global food security and nutrition security.”

With this introduction, Dan Glickman, cochair of the Global Agricultural Development Initiative of The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, set the stage for the discussion on “Building Resilience in the Face of Climate Change and Weather Shocks.” In anticipation of the UN Climate Summit and preparation of the Sustainable Development Goals, panelists discussed the nature of the challenges posed by climate change to the global food system and highlighted key issues that need to be brought to policymakers’ attention ranging from investing in technological and policy innovations to communicating and funding science and research.

Rachel Kyte, Group Vice President and Special Envoy for Climate Change with the World Bank, warned, “We have a broken food system today… Climate change is simply a threat-intensifier; it is making what is already perilous even more difficult.” She emphasized that material leadership on climate change must be driven by a climate-smart approach through the economy, in a way that the economy produces lower carbon and becomes more resilient. For the global food system, climate-smart agriculture offers the potential for a triple win: increasing farmer incomes, improving nutrition, and reducing emissions.

Cynthia Rosenzweig, Senior Research Scientist with the Goddard Institute for Space Studies at Columbia University, further suggested that all agricultural investments and programs should explicitly link mitigation and adaptation components. She emphasized the need for funding to support scientists’ involvement throughout the life of programs to help policymakers understand the implications of projects not only in terms of the climate but also the biophysical and socioeconomic issues. She said, “There have been probably billions of dollars on the [development of] climate models… to clarify and understand those projections… Now we need that same effort for the impact sectors.”

The shocks caused by climate change and weather variability not only affect agricultural production but also the health and nutrition of populations. John McDermott, Director of the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health, observed that climate shocks are often closely correlated with food insecurity shocks, health crises, or conflicts. He called for responses that will build general resilience—such as health insurance, coping systems for communities, or social protection mechanisms—because “at the end of the day, [those] who are going to adapt are people and these populations really need some support, especially ones undergoing multiple shocks.”

Shenggen Fan, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), noted that policy innovations are as important as technology innovations. For example, converting inefficient subsidies into smart income support for farmers could be critical to build resilience to climate and weather shocks. Moreover, he noted that the upcoming UN Climate Summit and the discussion of the post-2015 development agenda should be the same agenda, and one that is people-focused. He argued that this will require a systems approach, identifying and strengthening the weakest nodes to create “a global food system that is resilient, can adapt to climate change, can help to mitigate climate change, can use less water and energy to feed everybody in the world nutritiously, healthily."

The panel built on resilience themes presented in the recent IFPRI 2020 Conference and The Chicago Council Symposium. The event was organized by IFPRI and the Chicago Council and took place on Thursday, September 11, 2014 at IFPRI Headquarters in Washington, DC. Click here to read more about the event and watch the full video above.