May 11, 2015

Big Ideas and Emerging Innovations

REUTERS/Noor Khamis

The Rural Kenyan School That Collects Water for the Community
Water problems suffered by people living in the semi-arid regions of Kenya adversely affect whole areas of their lives, causing ill health, conflict and food insecurity. But the opening of a school built to capture rainfall in addition to providing a place to learn will hopefully break that vicious cycle for 300 children, their teachers, and the wider community.
 
The Untapped Potential of Wasted Food
Restaurants—and fast-food joints, in particular—are infamous for the tremendous waste they generate. A new fast-food chain, Loco’l, plans to repurpose scraps that would ordinarily end up in the trash, and to design their recipes to include common ingredients across dishes. Loco’l’s principals believe that their enterprise will be able to set low prices primarily by wasting less food.
 
Why Global Corporations Should Embrace Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporate social responsibility is not just a good idea or simply a nice thing to do, it can result in a strong bottom line and a more sustainable company in the long term. Regardless of how you view it, with the changes that we continue to see on multiple fronts, more companies, large or small, will need to make corporate social responsibility a high priority.
 

About

The Global Food and Agriculture Program aims to inform the development of US policy on global agricultural development and food security by raising awareness and providing resources, information, and policy analysis to the US Administration, Congress, and interested experts and organizations.

The Global Food and Agriculture Program is housed within the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, an independent, nonpartisan organization that provides insight – and influences the public discourse – on critical global issues. The Council on Global Affairs convenes leading global voices and conducts independent research to bring clarity and offer solutions to challenges and opportunities across the globe. The Council is committed to engaging the public and raising global awareness of issues that transcend borders and transform how people, business, and governments engage the world.

Support for the Global Food and Agriculture Program is generously provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Blogroll

1,000 Days Blog, 1,000 Days

Africa Can End Poverty, World Bank

Agrilinks Blog

Bread Blog, Bread for the World

Can We Feed the World Blog, Agriculture for Impact

Concern Blogs, Concern Worldwide

Institute Insights, Bread for the World Institute

End Poverty in South Asia, World Bank

Global Development Blog, Center for Global Development

The Global Food Banking Network

Harvest 2050, Global Harvest Initiative

The Hunger and Undernutrition Blog, Humanitas Global Development

International Food Policy Research Institute News, IFPRI

International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center Blog, CIMMYT

ONE Blog, ONE Campaign

One Acre Fund Blog, One Acre Fund

Overseas Development Institute Blog, Overseas Development Institute

Oxfam America Blog, Oxfam America

Preventing Postharvest Loss, ADM Institute

Sense & Sustainability Blog, Sense & Sustainability

WFP USA Blog, World Food Program USA

Archive

Photo of the Week

Farmers in Maraka, Kenya, plant maize using a hand hoe and a pre¬measured planting string to help them properly space their seeds.


Commentary - Saving Lives Through Efficient Food Aid Delivery

Early this year our government made real progress in improving the way we provide food aid to chronically hungry people and those in crises.  Unfortunately, recent actions by the House of Representatives threaten to undermine important reforms that would make food aid programs more effective and efficient. 


Photo of the Week

Silas Niyimpa of Ngobi, Rwanda, harvests cassava roots he planted in 2013.




Video: Could climate change lead to more wars?

Retired Navy Rear Admiral David Titley, who is a professor of meteorology at Penn State University, joins Consider This host Antonio Mora to discuss how climate change could increase global instability and conflicts.



Photo of the Week

One Acre Fund farmer Elias Ndinduyubwo of Kagabiro, Rwanda, shows off maize he has harvested with his family.


Video: Zero poverty. Think again

A new paper by the Overseas Development Institute reviews what is known about the impacts of climate change on eight development goal areas, and shows that it is essential for climate change to be addressed in order not to compromise development efforts.




Photo of the Week

One Acre Fund group leader Pauline Keya demonstrates how much chlorine to add to water to make it safe for drinking.


Photo of the Week

Martin Ugiraneza, of Rwamiko, Rwanda, was able to purchase a cow after his 2013 harvests.


USAID Ending Extreme Poverty

Through the narration of Presidents Kennedy, Clinton, Bush, and Obama, the film depicts America's progress, mission, and means by which we intend to end extreme poverty over the next two decades.


Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability

Working Group II assesses the scientific, technical, environmental, economic and social aspects of the vulnerability (sensitivity and adaptability) to climate change of, and the negative and positive consequences for, ecological systems, socio-economic sectors and human health, with an emphasis on regional sectoral and cross-sectoral issues.