Center on Global Food and Agriculture

Advancing a more sustainable and resilient food system by addressing challenges and providing leadership in America’s heartland and beyond.
More About the Center
Research
Reports and policy briefs on a wide range of food and nutrition security and agricultural development issues.
Research
Commentary and Analysis
Expert perspectives and analyses via the Global Food for Thought blog and weekly newsletter.
Commentary & Analysis
Events
Public and private sector leaders address global food security and connect with each other and the public.
Events

From the Center on Global Food and Agriculture

Afghan woman receives a box of food.
Afghan woman receives a box of food.
Food and Agriculture
Reuters
Food Security and Climate Mitigation as Counterinsurgency
Blog Global Food for Thought by Julia Whiting
If left unmitigated, hunger- and climate change-induced suffering in both Afghanistan and Haiti will likely exacerbate current political instability and conflict.
Food and Agriculture
The United Nations Food Systems Summit: All You Need to Know
Blog Global Food for Thought
A woman looks at rows of small plants in a growing facility
A woman looks at rows of small plants in a growing facility A woman looks at rows of small plants in a growing facility
A woman looks at rows of small plants in a growing facility
Reuters
Global Food Security Symposium 2021
PAST EVENT VIDEO Global Food Security Symposium

Program at a Glance

Food and Agriculture Program Marshall M Bouton at a Council event
Panel of Advisors

Experts from disciplines across food and agriculture offer advice to further the Council’s efforts to advance a more sustainable and resilient global food system and help inform and guide the program’s work.

Council expert Ertharin Cousin with Agnes Bingawaho
Fellows and Experts

Distinguished, resident, and nonresident fellows provide their expertise on a wide range of issues, including innovation, agricultural development, sustainability, nutrition, and more.

Aerial view of a rice field with the sun shining past clouds
Global Food Security Reports

Annual reports on global food security offer policy recommendations and foster dialogue on the topics.

People with crates of fruits, vegetables, and flowers travel by boat
Global Food for Thought

Commentary and analyses on the latest news, research, and policy developments in food and agriculture from across the world are curated weekly via this blog and related email.

Meet the Experts
All Food & Agriculture Experts
Council expert Catherine Bertini

Catherine Bertini

Distinguished Fellow, Global Food and Agriculture
Catherine Bertini served as executive director of the UN World Food Program, the world’s largest international humanitarian agency, from 1992 to 2002 prior to joining the Council. She was named the World Food Prize laureate in 2003 for her groundbreaking leadership there.
More about Catherine
Council expert Ertharin Cousin

Ertharin Cousin

Distinguished Fellow, Global Food and Agriculture
Ertharin Cousin served as executive director of the UN World Food Programme, where she led the world’s largest humanitarian organization, from 2012 to 2017 prior to joining the Council. She also previously served as US ambassador to the UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome.
More about Ertharin
Headshot for Roger Thurow

Roger Thurow

Senior Fellow, Global Food and Agriculture
Roger Thurow spent three decades at The Wall Street Journal as foreign correspondent based in Europe and Africa prior to joining the Council in 2010. His coverage spanned the fall of the Berlin Wall, the release of Nelson Mandela, the end of apartheid, and humanitarian crises. He is the author of three books.
More about Roger
All Food & Agriculture Experts

Global Food for Thought email sign-up

Sign up to receive the weekly Global Food for Thought email curating the latest and most important research, analysis, and news in food, agriculture, and global development from around the globe.
A mobile phone with a window open, with an email newsletter featured

Areas of Focus

Two scientists in a lab, working with plant seedlings in the background
Reuters
Technology and Innovation

Understanding the power of innovation and technology to transform food and agriculture, and exploring policy solutions necessary for ensuring an equitable digital revolution in food and agriculture.

People walking in blurred motion through the Financial District of Paris, France
Sustainability and Resilience

Analyzing the complex relationship between agriculture and the environment, and providing solutions to support resilient communities around the world.

Six children standing under a line in chalk against a wall, which reads "WHO Standard for 9 year olds"
WHO
Nutrition

Reporting on the importance of nutrition for healthy communities around the world, especially for early childhood nutrition and development.

A young girl in Pakistan at school
Reuters
Gender Equity

Examining the vital role of women in addressing food security and the promise of rural girls for thriving economies.

Global Food And Agriculture Events

Book cover with illustration of Dan Glickman
University of Kansas Press
Life Lessons from Congress, the Farm, and the Movies, with Dan Glickman
PAST EVENT VIDEO

The former US Secretary of Agriculture discusses the principles that shaped his remarkable career and how they could be an antidote to America’s divisive politics.

Top view of falconer at street food bazaar in Malaysia
Food Identity and Preserving Cultural Heritage
PAST EVENT VIDEO

A panel of chefs and food experts discuss food identity and the intersection of safeguarding cultural heritage and food diversity.

A woman looks at rows of small plants in a growing facility
Reuters
Global Food Security Symposium 2021
PAST EVENT VIDEO Global Food Security Symposium

In advance of the UN Food Systems Summit, US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman, Impossible Foods’ Head of Impact Strategy Rebekah Moses, and other global leaders discuss innovations transforming food systems.

Boxes of food are packed on a pallet waiting to be delivered to families as rural hunger rises due to COVID-19, in Manitowoc, WI
Reuters/Gabriela Bhaskar
Making Hunger a Priority in America
PAST EVENT VIDEO

The Council's Ertharin Cousin leads a conversation with IL Senator Dick Durbin, Produce Alliance’s Melissa Melshenker Ackerman, and other experts about the USDA’s efforts to address food security challenges.