According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), if the gender gap in farm productivity and the wage gap in agricultural employment were closed, the world’s gross domestic product would rise by almost $1 trillion, and 45 million fewer people would be food insecure. To solve the…
February marks the grim second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which not only brought suffering to millions of Ukrainians, but had massive global impacts, including food, fuel, and fertilizer shortages, which contributed to historically high food prices and an unprecedented food crisis. For more than a decade, the United…
At the recent United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), efforts to improve food systems were front and center as a means to tackle the global climate crisis. With global demand for food projected to increase by 50 percent between now and 2050, climate change…
While climate change affects everyone, its effects are not felt equally. Women farmers have different, and often more profound, vulnerabilities to climate change and face even greater challenges to adapt to the climate crisis. In addition to climate challenges, women in agrifood systems are battling economic and societal constraints as pointed out…
Investments in research today pay dividends tomorrow. That’s the driving notion behind Feed the Future Innovation Labs, which connect researchers from top U.S. universities with their counterparts at partner country research institutions to together solve some of the world’s greatest agriculture and food security challenges. Each of these labs and…
On land and in water, our food systems are under pressure like never before. Extreme weather events, conflict, disrupted supply chains and more are making it increasingly difficult for smallholder farmers and producers across different food systems to remain productive. Getting innovations into the hands of agrifood system producers is…
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to pull out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July was a stark reminder of Russia’s use of food as a weapon, as the initiative helped ensure Ukraine could ship grains and oilseeds directly to countries around the world, including some of the world’s…
Compounding shocks in recent years – protracted conflict, climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic – have threatened progress to improve food security and nutrition. While food and fertilizer prices have stabilized and countries continue to recover economically from the pandemic, we’re not out of the woods yet. This month, FAO’s State of…
Resilience is needed on many fronts — environmentally, socially and economically — when shocks strike and persist. Without it, the lives and livelihoods of millions of people suffer, hard-won gains are lost and the road to recovery becomes even more difficult. That’s why resilience is fundamental to Feed the Future’s…
Women have always worked in agrifood systems. It’s time we made these systems work for women. The majority of women in the poorest countries work in agrifood systems. This means that their well-being, incomes and ability to feed their families depends on systems that are fair and inclusive for women.…
Unprecedented drought pushing millions into starvation in the Horn of Africa. Rising conflict over shrinking natural resources. Surging cholera caseloads across the world. What do all of these things have in common? Water. This edition of the newsletter includes observations and takeaways from the recent UN Water Conference and why…
The global fertilizer shortage – stemming from Putin’s unprovoked war in Ukraine exacerbating global food, fuel and fertilizer prices around the world – is particularly concerning as it threatens the ability of smallholder farmers – the backbone of food security – to remain productive. That’s why Feed the Future has…
