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.” READ MORE »

The challenge of feeding a growing world population demands the use of new technologies, including biotechnology, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman said Wednesday.

“I don’t think you can make a quantum leap in food production without embracing new technologies, including biotechnology,” he said.  “We have to not be afraid of new technology.  We have to make sure we have good science, so that safety is a priority.  But we won’t be able to meet the ultimate threat without going down this road,” he said.

Glickman spoke during a panel discussion sponsored by AGree, a program addressing food and agricultural policy. He said he raised questions about biotech during his tenure at the Department of Agriculture (1995-2001), but ultimately became convinced of the safety and efficacy of biotechnology.