Call to Innovators: Apply To Present at G-8 Conference on Open Data for Agriculture
Posted by Catherine Woteki and Nick Sinai / February 18, 2013
![Women pluck rice grass from a nursery to plant on plots in Ahero, Kenya on Nov. 13, 2009. [AP File Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130223165932im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0218_grass_kenya_m.jpg)
About the Authors: Catherine Woteki serves as Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics and Chief Scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Nick Sinai serves as the U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer.
In an exciting opportunity, the G-8 is inviting innovators to apply to present ideas that demonstrate how open data can be unleashed to increase food security at the G-8 International Conference on Open Data for Agriculture on April 29-30, 2013 in Washington, D.C.
Open data is being used by innovators and entrepreneurs around the world to accelerate development, whether it be tracking election transparency in Kenya or providing essential information to rural farmers in Uganda. The G-8 conference will convene policy makers, thought leaders, food security stakeholders, and data experts to discuss the role of public, agriculturally-relevant… more »
Meeting the President’s Challenge To End Extreme Poverty
Posted by Jonathan Shrier and Lona Stoll / February 17, 2013
![Kenyan boys harvest maize in Bomet, Kenya, Oct. 9, 2008. [AP File Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130223165932im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0217_harvest_maize_kenya_m.jpg)
About the Authors: Jonathan Shrier serves as Acting Special Representative for Global Food Security and Deputy Coordinator for Diplomacy for Feed the Future, and Lona Stoll serves as Acting Deputy Coordinator for Development for Feed the Future.
In his State of the Union address, President Obama laid out a challenge for our generation to eradicate the scourge of extreme poverty. We are advancing this critical agenda through Feed the Future, the President's signature global hunger… more »
Waste Less To Feed More
Posted by Robert D. Hormats / February 15, 2013
![In this photo taken Tuesday, May 1, 2012, Indian farmers and migrant laborers harvest wheat crop on the outskirts of Amritsar, India. [AP File Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130223165932im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0215_harvest_india_m.jpg)
I recently spoke at the 13th annual Delhi Sustainable Development Summit in New Delhi, India. My remarks focused largely on the importance of creating a good environment for investment in the agricultural sector. I emphasized the particular need to improve food supply chains that connect farmers to markets. Significant additional improvements in food supply chain infrastructure are needed to reduce post-harvest food losses, which are disturbingly high in many parts of the world.
Some important progress already has been made. The Government of India recently took steps to open India's multi-brand retail sector to encourage foreign direct investment. This investment is critical for India's overall economic growth prospects as well as the development of India's food storage and distribution industry. As Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh explained, an organized and efficient… more »
Food Security and Minimizing Postharvest Loss
Posted by Jose W. Fernandez / February 12, 2013
![Soybeans are harvested on a farm near Pergamino, Argentina, July 14, 2012. [AP File Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130223165932im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0214_soybeans_m.jpg)
On February 19, the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs along with the Office of Global Food Security and the Foreign Service Institute will host the conference "Food Security and Minimizing Postharvest Loss." Government officials, representatives from the private sector, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and foreign diplomatic corps will discuss the issue of postharvest loss, focusing on Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.
Postharvest loss is collective food loss along the production chain, from harvest and handling to storage and processing to packing and transportation.… more »
Championing the Cause of Ending Global Hunger and Undernutrition
Posted by Jonathan Shrier / February 01, 2013
![This photo taken Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012 shows a wheat farm near Debre Zeit, in Ethiopia's Amhara region. [AP File Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130223165932im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0201_field_ethiopia_m.jpg)
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has been a champion of the fight to end global hunger and undernutrition, making the case for increased investments in food security and nutrition to help move people out of poverty, create stronger communities, and build a more stable world.
At the Office of Global Food Security, we are looking forward to working with our partners across the whole of the U.S. government, international community, private sector, civil society, and partner nations to build on Secretary Clinton's legacy and to making 2013 another momentous year in the fight to end world hunger and undernutrition.
Throughout 2012, the Obama Administration continued… more »
In Malawi, the Future Belongs to the Organized
Posted by David Lane / January 25, 2013
![Women farmers welcome U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Agencies in Rome David Lane to Tidi Village, Malawi, on January 14, 2013. [State Department photo by Sharon Ketchum/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130223165932im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0125_women_malawi_m.jpg)
After an early morning departure from Tanzania, we arrived in the Malawian capital of Lilongwe in a steady rain. The rain is not always favorable for travel, but it was very welcome in Malawi after a drought during the 2012 rainy season impacted the maize crop and food security, particularly in the south.
As I continued my first media tour as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations food and agriculture agencies in Rome I was excited to have two reporters from Malawi join the group of seven talented reporters traveling with me, five African and two European, to witness programs on the ground and help tell the Malawian story of increasing food security in Africa.
Despite the difficult situation in the south, it is an exciting time to visit Malawi because… more »
Smallholder Farmers Go Commercial in Tanzania
Posted by David Lane / January 24, 2013
![Ambassador David Lane meets with farmers in Hoyohoyo Village, south of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, January 2013. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130223165932im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0124_lane_tanzania_farm_m.jpg)
With the seven journalists accompanying me on our media tour, we said goodbye to Augustino, Fortunata, and the other farmers we had met around Arusha, and flew south to the humid, coastal climate of Dar es Salaam. We were eager to hear how the projects we had seen, along with many others across the country, are adding up to something bigger.
We spent a morning visiting a cassava multiplication project that the Government of Tanzania has undertaken in collaboration with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Cassava, a starchy root similar to the sweet potato, is a staple food in many parts of Tanzania.
On the way to Hoyohoyo Village, south of Dar… more »
Reporting on the U.S. Fight Against World Hunger
Posted by David Lane / January 23, 2013
![Villagers in Mtanga, Malawi, where U.N.-backed development projects are helping farmers grow maize and start fish farming, April 16, 2007. [AP File Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130223165932im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0123_malawi_village_m.jpg)
Our journey started with an early morning flight into the Tanzanian city of Arusha, where we were greeted by the impressive sight of Mount Kilimanjaro, whose snow covered peak dominates the landscape.
I was on my first media tour as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Agencies in Rome. Accompanying me was a group of talented reporters from five African countries -- Malawi, Uganda, Ghana, Niger, and Tanzania -- plus two Europeans from France and Italy.
The U.S. Mission I lead -- to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the International… more »
Two Women, Two Countries, Two People: A Growing Partnership
Posted by Tara D. Sonenshine / January 15, 2013
![U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton shakes hands with Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., January 15, 2013. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130223165932im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0115_clinton_sirleaf_liberia_m.jpg)
There is no more effective form of engagement than face-to-face communication. That's a fundamental principle of our public diplomacy. And thanks to a strong friendship and understanding between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf , we have just signed an important agreement between the United States and Liberia.
One year ago, this month, Secretary Clinton traveled to Monrovia to attend the inauguration of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf . At the time she said, "Democracy hasn't just sprouted in Liberia, it has taken root."
The relationship struck between Secretary Clinton and President Sirleaf -- strengthened by their own personal narratives of empowerment and their mutual commitment to changing the lives of women and girls, peace-building,… more »
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