The Chicago Council on Global Affairs today announced the launch of a new Web site, thechicagocouncil.org/globalagdevelopment and blog, Global Food for Thought, to provide a central point for information and analyses on global agricultural development and related issues.
The site is part of the Global Agricultural Development Initiative, an effort cochaired by Catherine Bertini, former Executive Director of the UN World Food Program, and Dan Glickman, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
The new site includes summaries of and links to official policies and documents, a calendar of major international and national events, and information on organizations and institutions related to agriculture, food, hunger, poverty, and climate change.
“This site fulfills one of the main purposes of the Global Agricultural Development Initiative: to provide a one-stop-shop for information on international agriculture and development issues to policymakers, businesses, experts, and NGOs working in this field,” said Glickman.
One of the site’s central offerings is Global Food for Thought, a blog and weekly news brief, that provides updated information, commentary, and analysis on breaking developments on international agriculture and food issues.
The blog offers a forum for expert commentary, debate, and updates on key developments.
The free weekly e-mail news brief aggregates updated media, policy, and research information on Initiative topics from over 100 publications and organizational websites.
“Global Food for Thought is one of the best resources I have seen for those working on topics of international agriculture and development; it provides the most relevant and timely information, in a format that can quickly be reviewed and understood,” said Bertini.
The Chicago Council’s Global Agricultural Development Initiative builds on success of The Chicago Council’s study Renewing American Leadership in the Fight Against Global Hunger and Poverty.
Released in February 2009, the study provided the U.S. administration and 111th Congress with an objective assessment of the risks posed by rural poverty and food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
It included a series of recommendations for how these risks could be significantly alleviated through a refocusing of U.S. foreign assistance on agricultural development.
A number of recent policy developments indicate that the United States and international community are refocusing on agricultural development as a way to help more than 600 million people who live on less than $1-a-day and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods.
The Chicago Council launched the Global Agricultural Development Initiative and the Web site in response to these developments, to provide resources and policy recommendations on agricultural development as a means to alleviate the challenge of global poverty to the U.S. administration, Congress, and interested companies, experts, and organizations. Learn more at thechicagocouncil.org/globalagdevelopment.
About the Chicago Council on Global Affairs
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, founded in 1922, is a prominent, independent and nonpartisan organization committed to influencing the discourse on global issues through contributions to opinion and policy formation, leadership dialogue, and public learning.
Long known for studies of American public opinion on foreign policy, the Council is expanding its contributions to discussions of critical global issues through studies, task force reports, special initiatives, and conferences.
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