source: feed the future
The USDA has announced a new framework that aims to create a more fair, competitive, and resilient food system. This system builds on the existing work the USDA has been doing since 2021 to address supply chain and structural issues. The last few years have shown issues in our food system we didn’t know we had… from supply issues in 2020 due to the pandemic to the more recent struggles with food insecurity and shortages during Russia’s war with Ukraine. The USDA recognizes this, which is a big...
Food insecurity has become a larger and larger issue over the last few years, but the USDA has been working diligently to help lessen the impacts of this issue. The four main issues impacting food security are COVID-19, climate shock, conflict, and cost. Here is how the USDA is addressing these issues…
1. Food Transformation Framework
On June 1st, 2022, the USDA announced their food transformation framework in response to increasing worry about the issue of food insecurity. This framework aims to fix existing issues within our food supply chain by creating a more efficient and resilient system. The USDA also invested money into local farmers to help them “process locally, sell locally, and adopt practices that are both good for their business and the climate.” This framework intends to make a big change in our struggling food system.
2. Feed the Future
Feed the future is the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative. The USDA has invested $20 million in microloans and aided in seven critical policy reports for Feed the Future. In turn, Feed the Future has had some incredible results…
3. Improve Local Food Market
The USDA has been working hard to allocate funding that improves local markets, both nationally and internationally. They do this by supporting farmers, funding the latest technologies to improve efficiency, and working out ways to make the market as efficient as possible. One of their national initiatives is the Borlaug Fellowship Program which brought 272 scientists to the U.S. and focuses on research topics such as food safety, soil fertility, post-harvest technology, biotechnology, animal health, and rural development.
4. Continuous Research
The USDA is always researching ways to improve food security and technology. Globally, the USDA and USAID funds Feed the Future Research Strategy, which focuses on the four agro-climatic zones where global poverty and hunger are concentrated, and targets two-to-four major problems in each zone to maximize impact on poor families. On a national level, the USDA focuses on creating optimized genetic variations of certain crops like wheat and beans to ensure productive and successful harvests.
Learn more about USDA initiatives
