Boosting global food security - USDA’s $455M Investment

Sep 25, 2023

The USDA is taking a significant step in battling global hunger by investing $455 million in the Food for Progress and McGovern-Dole Programs. This move is forecasted to deploy over 375,000 metric tons of U.S. commodities, making a considerable difference in many countries.

Food for Progress is working towards a world where everyone has access to food by developing agricultural value chains and promoting trade activities. The program's strategy involves selling commodities locally and regionally, ensuring the balance between helping developing markets and maintaining U.S. interests.

Meanwhile, the McGovern-Dole Program is a beacon of hope for school children, providing nutrition and promoting education. This program has been instrumental, delivering meals to millions and supporting educational programs in 48 countries for more than two decades.

This funding ensures that the McGovern-Dole Program remains the largest donor to school feeding initiatives worldwide. The upcoming projects are set to reach children in countries like Cameroon, Haiti, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, and Togo. Food for Progress projects are scheduled in Bangladesh, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Lesotho, Mauritania, Nepal, and Togo.

These investments underline the USDA’s and the administration’s dedication to meeting global nutritional requirements and the continuous success of such programs. The USDA also aims to reform America’s food system, with a focus on resilience, fairness, and access to healthy food for all communities.

Source : wisconsinagconnection

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.