Beyond hitting nearly three-quarters of U.S. corn and soybean crops, drought has had a global impact on food price volatility and agricultural productivity. To help address these challenges, World Food Prize Laureate Catherine Bertini and former US Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman call for supporting agricultural research and technologies that will help equip farmers with the tools they need to manage severe drought conditions. 

They state in a Politico opinion piece, “We should increase support for the agricultural researchers, in the U.S. and around the world, who are developing remarkable new drought and flood tolerant crop varieties. The results of this research will be essential if the agricultural sector is to continue to meet food demand in the face of weather variability.”

Furthermore, farmers should be allowed access to agricultural technologies that have already contributed to productivity in the US and abroad, the article points out.

“As Americans, we have decades of experience in building the world’s most productive agricultural system. We’ve developed technologies and tools that have revolutionized the farming industry…Our only chance in the face of this grave challenge is to equip every farmer around the world with the tools and knowledge they need to succeed.” Read more.