3rd Annual Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security

The 3rd Annual Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security was held by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs in Washington, D.C. on May 18, 2012.

Agenda and Speakers

• 8:15am: Welcome from co-chairs, Catherine Bertini and Dan Glickman.
• 8:25am: Special remarks from Michael B.G. Froman, Assistant to the President and deputy national security advisor for International Economic Affairs
• 8:30am: "Healthy Agriculture: Improving Nutrition Works for Economies and Communities"
  • This session will explore how incorporating nutrition into food security programming can improve health while promoting economic development.
  • Moderator: Eddy Gicheru Oketch, British Council Global Changemaker; founder and president, Peace for Africa and Development Initiative
  • Discussants:
  • Beverly Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, Canadian International Development Agency
  • Ertharin Cousin, Executive director, UN World Food Programme
  • Tom Arnold, Chief executive, Concern Worldwide

• 9:15am: Special Remarks:
  • Introduction: Gayle Smith, Special assistant to the President and senior director, National Security Council
  • Remarks: Boni Yayi, President of the Republic of Benin & Chairman of the African Union

• 9:25am: Farm Futures: Increasing trade to drive economic growth
  • "This session will identify tangible opportunities to increase intra-African trade and link countries to regional and global markets by building capacity, improving infrastructure, and reducing price volatility."
  • Moderator: Ann Veneman, Former secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Former executive director, United Nations Children’s Fund
  • Discussants:
  • John Ginascol, Vice president, Global Supply, Abbott Nutrition
  • Ashol Gulati, Chairman, Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices
  • Donald Kaberuka, President, African Development Bank
  • Kanayo Nwanze, President, International Fund for Agricultural Development

• 10:15am: Keynote: Barack Obama

• 10:45am: Food Security at the G8L Changing the development landscape
  • "This session will outline key components of the G8 deliverable for food and nutrition security. Leaders from the private and public sector will discuss their vision of this new way of doing business."
  • Moderator: Rajiv Shah, Administrator, USAID
  • Discussants:
  • Jakaya Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania
  • Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia
  • John Evans Atta Mills, President of Ghana
  • Jørgen Ole Haslestad, President and chief executive officer, Yara International
  • Ellen Kullman, Chair of the board and chief executive office, DuPont
  • Strive Masiyiwa, Acting Chairman of the Board, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa
  • Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid, and Crisis Response
  • Andrew Mitchell, Secretary of State for International Development, UK

• 12:00pm: Special Remarks:
• Introduction: Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
• Remarks: Bono, Cofounder of ONE and (RED)

• 12:30: Lunch and break

• 1:45pm: Business Unusual: A New Commitment to strengthening African food security.
  • "This session will focus on new commitments to agriculture-sector investment and partnership that are taking shape between the public and private sectors, opening significant new opportunities for agriculture-sector growth."
  • Moderator: Josette Sheeran, Vice-chairman and member of the Managing Board, World Economic Forum
  • Discussants:
  • Jean Ping, Chairperson, African Union Commission
  • Anil B. Jain, Chief executive officer and managing director, Jain Irrigation
  • Michael Mack, Chief executive officer, Syngenta AG
  • Berry Marttin, member of the executive board, Rabobank Nederland
  • Jacqueline Mkindi, Executive director, Tanzania Horticulture Association

• 2:45pm: Agricultural Innovation: Getting to Scale
  • "In the face of risks such as climate change, disease, resource scarcity, and contamination, business leaders will debate how advances in public and private agricultural research, innovation, and technology can increase food production safely and nutritiously in the developing world."
  • Moderator: Eleni Gabre-Madhin, Chief executive officer, Ethiopian Commodity Exchange
  • Discussants:
  • Dyborn Chibonga, Chief executive officer, National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi
  • Janet Chigabatia-Adama, Savanna Farmers Marketing Company
  • Hugh Grant, Chairman, president, and chief executive officer, Monsanto Company
  • Jeff Simmons, Senior vice president, Eli Lilly and Company; president, Elanco Animal Health
  • Jack Sinclair, Executive vice president, Grocery Merchandise, Walmart
  • Sam Dryden, Director, Agricultural Development, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

• 4:00pm Keynote: Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State

• 4:25pm: The Charge Moving Forward: Catherine Bertini

Sponsors

Foundations:

• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• Macarthur Foundation

Flagship Sponsor:

• DuPont

Lead Sponsors:

• Abbott
• Elanco

Supporting Sponsors:

• Land O'Lakes
• Walmart
• Monsanto

Partners:

• AGree
• Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa
• Bread for the World
• Concern Worldwide
• Initiative for Global Development
• InterAction
• International Food Policy Research Institute
• The One Campaign
• Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa
• The World Food Prize
• Women Thrive Worldwide

Resources and articles

Related Sourcewatch articles

• Second Green Revolution
• Grow Africa
• New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition
• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• Gates Foundation Global Agriculture Grants
• Rockefeller Foundation
• Ford Foundation
• U.S. Agency for International Development
• Norman Borlaug
• World Bank
• Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa
• Chicago Council on Global Affairs
• Robert Paarlberg
• Using Hunger to Promote Genetic Engineering
• Monsanto's Use of Humanitarian Projects to Open Global Markets to GMOs

Social Media

The symposium was discussed on Twitter using the hashtag #globalag. The Global Agricultural Development Initiative's Twitter account is @globalagdev. The event was also live blogged at the Global Food for Thought blog at http://globalfoodforthought.typepad.com.

External Resources

• Accelerating Investments for Sustainable Growth in African Agriculture, Grow Africa.