A Transformational Day
“The transformational day begins,” proclaimed Dan Glickman, co-chair of the Council’s Global Agricultural Development Initiative and former secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Symposium, bringing together leaders from governments around the world and multinational corporations, is setting the tone for this weekend’s G8 summit at Camp David. Glickman said the G8’s deliberations on will be “critical in determining food and nutrition security of future generations.”
Michael Froman, assistant to President Obama and deputy national security advisor for international economic affairs, said a focus on nutrition security will be a central G8 theme.
Tom Arnold, chief executive of Concern Worldwide, hailed this focus on nutrition – on improving food quality in addition to increasing food production – as “unprecedented.”
At Camp David, the leaders of the top industrial nations will be joined by African presidents and private sector CEOs in advancing the G8 commitment to increased agricultural development investments made three years ago in L’Aquila, Italy.
Froman said President Obama’s Feed the Future initiative was beginning to produce results on the ground in some 20 countries. He noted that agricultural productivity in those countries was eight times higher than the global average.
He also said the administration was “fully committed to an assistance agenda” in a time when Congressional budget cutters have been targeting foreign. But, he added, “Government assistance alone is not sufficient. It takes commitment on the ground” from all those involved on the agricultural development front.
As the Camp David summit opens, he said, “it will take all of us represented here to achieve our goals. As you look to the G8, we look to you.”
Archive
The Nutrition Dialogues
The most difficult conversations were about the malnourished children.Listen Up!
Francis Mamati was gobsmacked by what he heard.The Ryan Budget and One Particularly Pernicious Paragraph
Since Mitt Romney chose Paul Ryan as his vice presidential running mate, many people have peered into the House budget plan that the Wisconsin Congressman shaped - the so-called Ryan budget — to see what it might portend for a Romney-Ryan administration.The Games and Hunger – True Inspiration
The London Summer Olympics have been chock full of wondrous achievements and inspiring moments: Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, Sarah Attar, Oscar Pistorious, an impressive roster of African athletes rising from deep poverty to the medal platform. Just imagine the journey from Somalia or Sudan to a stadium filled with 80,000 people, flashbulbs sparkling like stars. Amazing.Let's Keep the Focus This Time
Are we paying attention now? The shriveled corn and wilting beans and severely parched soil of the U.S. farm belt are trying to tell us something: focus on the global food chain.From AIDS to Agriculture
As we have heard during this week's international conference in Washington, D.C., there has been wondrous progress on the AIDS treatment front since President George W. Bush launched the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) nearly a decade ago.Praying for Rain – We're All in This Together
The farmer fell to his knees, landing on hard on the parched soil, and raised his arms to heaven.Just Do It
With the London Olympics approaching, it is time that we dusted off the old Nike solgan - Just Do It - and apply it to the agricultural development front.Derailing Momentum
There is no doubt that the financial crisis roiling Europe has unsettled world markets, scrambled politics, shaken re-election prospects in several countries and darkened many 401-k prospects. But as the drama stretches on and on, another mighty impact is emerging: it is derailing the momentum to fight hunger and poverty through agricultural development.A Beautiful Day
It was a beautiful day, as Bono might sing, when President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton and a phalanx of corporate leaders, and the Irish rock star himself, gathered in Washington DC on May 18 to shift the effort to end hunger through agricultural development into a higher gear.Neglect Reversed, Now Keep the Focus
Too poor, too remote, too insignificant. That was the unofficial mantra behind the neglect of smallholder farmers in Africa for the past four decades. It was recited by the farmers’ own governments, by rich world governments, by development institutions large and small, by the private sector. It has left Africa’s farmers far behind those in the rest of the world. It has left them unable to feed their own families throughout the year. It has given rise to that horrible oxymoron “hungry farmers.”Fighting the Injustice of Hunger
President Barack Obama issued an "all hands on deck" command to combat chronic hunger and malnutrition, which he said was "an outrage and an affront to who we are."A Transformational Day
The Chicago Council Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security opened with a jolt of urgency and possibility.Three Little Words, Three Little Letters
For many Moms, their biggest wish on Mother's Day is to hear those special three little words from their children: I Love You.No Food, No Peace
You can't build peace on empty stomachs.Multimedia
Videos
Digital Preview of The First 1,000 Days
In his new book, The First 1,000 Days, Council senior fellow Roger Thurow illuminates the 1,000 Days initiative to end early childhood malnutrition through the compelling stories of new mothers in Uganda, India, Guatemala, and Chicago. Get a first-look at photos and stories from the book in this new web interactive.
Books
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