The International Farm Management Association Congress began Monday, July 20 at Illinois State University. Gregory Traxler was one of several speakers discussing global agriculture issues on the opening day of the IFMA Congress. His presentation, “Toward World Food Security” highlighted the complexity and causes of the issue of food security.
Food security refers to the right to food for all human beings worldwide, that no one should go hungry, in Wexler’s words. The issue is a global problem, yet it is still relevant in the United States and locally. Local food security can be guaranteed by social programs and local government infrastructures. Without government support of research and development, countries cannot improve their agricultural yield, and thus cannot improve their overall food security. Developing technologies and making agricultural changes are “not something you ‘do’ to a country,” Wexler said, but rather choices that countries should make.
Globally, over 870 million people are hungry each day, a number that has increased by 50 million people in the last year alone. The main problem in solving hunger is not greater production of food, but better, more efficient distribution of food, according to Wexler. “Agriculture is the key to reducing hunger and poverty,” Wexler stressed.
Other causes of the global food crisis include rising fuel costs, urbanization, growing world population, and most importantly, neglect of agriculture in developing countries.
After highlighting the causes and the depth of the problem of world food security, Wexler briefly touched on the efforts of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in solving the global issue. He and his colleagues’’ work focuses on the policy and statistics portion in research and development of agricultural practices.
Wexler’s presentation is a prime example that many people, in a variety of fields other than agriculture specifically, can take part in solving the world food crisis.
For a review of the complete itinerary, visit: http://www.ifma17.org/
AgWired coverage of the IFMA 17 is made possible by 