The Department of Agriculture scientist who led the U.S. delegation during the G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists in Indonesia earlier this month emphasized the importance of agriculture research and development in tackling global food security challenges.
USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young asked G20 members to support the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate, according to a July 7 news release. The G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists is a gathering of agricultural science leaders to discuss global challenges to agriculture and to align national and global research and development priorities.
"Ambitious investment in climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation will help create a surge of solutions, enabling the world to meet nutritional needs, increase agricultural productivity, improve livelihoods, conserve nature and biodiversity, build resilience to climate change, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon," Jacobs-Young said in the news release. "For this reason, the United States and the United Arab Emirates launched AIM for Climate at COP26. The initiative continues to grow rapidly, and we look forward to further advancing it at COP27 in Egypt later this year."
Jacobs-Young also discussed the Russian invasion of Ukraine's threat to global food supply, the role leaders play in ensuring investment in agricultural research and innovation for climate change mitigation and adaptation, the U.S. role in the Coalition for Sustainable Productivity Growth, the nation's focus on reducing food loss and waste in the supply chain and more, according to the release.
She described Russia's invasion of Ukraine as "an affront to the principles we seek to affirm and our efforts to advance international science, technology and innovation for development," the release reported. "In response to Putin’s aggression, the U.S. government has taken measures to limit bilateral science and technology research cooperation with the Russian government."
