This post originally appeared on Agri-Pulse.

Agri-Pulse and The Chicago Council on Global Affairs are teaming up to host a monthly column to explore how the US agriculture and food sector can maintain its competitive edge and advance food security in an increasingly globalized and dynamic world.

By Dan Glickman and Doug Bereuter

The US is a global leader in agriculture and food.  In the last 150 years, technological advances and innovations in the production, processing, transportation, and retailing of food have spurred unprecedented economic growth at home and provided affordable food to billions of people worldwide. To maintain this competitive edge in the century to come, American agriculture will need new approaches and a renewed commitment to research, education, market engagement, and trade.  It will also need to focus on meeting future food and fiber needs sustainably and nutritiously.

Today's agriculture and food system is increasingly global, with food demand driven by growing populations in Asia and Africa, and millions of people in emerging markets moving into the middle class.  In 2012, American farmers sold more commodities in North Asia than they did in North America.  US commodity exports to Sub-Saharan Africa have increased by 200 percent in the last decade.  These will be America's growth markets well into the future. 


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