The Atlantic Food Summit

Today I was fortunate enough to attend The Atlantic Food Summit, a day long conference held at the Newseum. There were three panels of discussion: Feeding the World, The Next Era of Food Security, and The Way We Eat. Each panel discussed a wide array of food security issues.

I particularly enjoyed the first panel, Feeding the World, a discussion featuring The Honorable Thomas Daschle, Senior Policy Advisor, DLA Piper, and Chair, DuPont Committee on Agricultural Innovation and Productivity for the 21st Century, Dr. Hafez Ghanem, Assistant Director-General, Economic and Social Development, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and Josh Viertel, President of Slow Food USA.

Dr. Ghanem opened the discussion by stating that today, one billion people are undernourished and grain stocks are at an all-time low. It is estimated that one billion tons of cereals and 200 million tons of meat are needed by 2050 to meet this demand. What we are called to do, is to think about how to support innovation in agriculture, improve productivity in sustainable way, and use policy to meet farmers' needs.

We can feed the world in 2050, however we cannot continue along the food path we have created. How are there so many under and mal-nourished despite all of our resources? In order to feed the world we need to focus on research and development, and change our focus from higher yields to productivity enhancement. How do we get farmers to apply this methodology and close the yield gap, which is the difference between what can be done and what we actually do in regards to yield and capability.

Farmers have a strong voice in the political economy but this is not the case in developing countries. We must invest in this situation and work with governments and civil societies. However our current system is not sustainable.The problem is export restrictions and ideally, nobody should subsidize anything.

Second to speak was former Senator Daschel who first questioned that if we need increased investment to address our agriculture mal-practices, but where will this money come from? Most agricultural investment comes from farmers themselves.We must focus not as just defense and diplomacy in United States' relations, but defense, diplomacy and development in our agenda abroad. It is critical to improve development because we cannot export our way out of this problem. We must create ways for farmers to help themselves by offering unique research to address these unique problems, encourage competition, maintain good collaboration, and keep our focus on empowering producers, not just through shifting.

In regards to agricultural subsidies and lowering tariffs, farmers do not prefer subsidies and instead prefer a reasonable place in the market and a fair return on investment. We must make sure marketplace is functioning well by empowering produces to collaborate subsidy relivant programs and open trade. We must rely on interation and interdependence, open our borders, and find ways to make political processes more transparant. With a balanced economy, there is no need for subsidies.

It is ideal to have self-sufficient countries, yet it is not very reasonable. We must maximize the value of the food we produce today and in addition export overseas while making these areas sufficient.
Additionally we should embrace science, but not forget that simple systems such as biodiversity is science too.

Finally, Mr. Josh Viertel closed the discussion by stating that the good news behind our food crises is that we have the technology and the resources to feed the world. Currently we have the capacity to feed 11 billion people, however with a population pushing 6 billion, still 1 billion people go hungry. We must apply these technologies and resources to the problem and not rely on on market opportunities. New technologies (mainly GMOs) don't have a big role to play in this problem because they aim to increase profit to increase global yields. This is not necessarily the solution. Instead we need market reform, land reform, access to new practices, and new, simple technology. By promoting teaching, extension, and empowerment, we can create the political will to tackle food and agricultural problems.

The key is finding low cost inputs that are locally available and regenerable, sustainable, local processes in food farming. Exporting crops are not a long term solution. The resources and technology is there globally, but is not evenly spread, and therefore we still rely on trade., However, subsidizing our behavior may not be the sole cause food problems globally, but it plays a huge role.

I really enjoyed the conference, however the final two panels had too much of a focus on food labeling disputes and the question of obesity to really spark my interest as much as a the first one did. Today I had many interesting conversations with professionals from all areas of this field, and if I learned anything today, it is that it is DEFINITELY time for me to invest in a business card.