Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently emphasized the connection between agri-food systems and climate change. He announced new initiatives related to these issues in an Aug. 3 news release.
"The time is now, and together we can achieve sustainable, equitable and resilient agri-food systems," Vilsack said in the release. "The APEC shares a commitment to addressing global food needs now so that we can build resilient systems that can absorb future shocks, like pandemics, conflict, severe weather and climate change."
Vilsack chaired the Food Security Ministerial during the USDA's involvement in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum U.S. Host Year, the release reported. He stressed the link between climate change, food security and sustainability. Vilsack engaged APEC members on building resilient and interconnected agri-food systems.
“We must work to collaborate with other nations to share best practices and information as we all learn more about how to mitigate and adapt to a changing climate, and in order to produce more, while minimizing environmental impacts, we must leverage innovation and foster new ways of doing things,” Vilsack added, according to the release.
The USDA also unveiled two initiatives – a Food Security Dashboard offering decision-makers various indicators related to food and nutrition security and Interim Instructional Field Guides, the release reported.
"The dashboard provides policymakers with information on the role of trade in food security and gives a roadmap to which foods are needed and how to get countries those foods," the release said. "It also provides policymakers with a greater grasp of the data by presenting it in an easy to-understand and analyze format."
The first three guides are focused on sustainable water and food security, food safety innovation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the APEC region, the release noted. There are expected to be about 17 focused field guides resulting from workshops, field trips and other knowledge sharing and information gathering initiatives. The full collection is expected to be available in 2024.
