Sonny Ramaswamy Urges Innovation to Address Food Security, Waste

The world is facing an “existential threat” to nutritional security, a problem that will only become worse as the global population increases, Sonny Ramaswamy said at a seminar hosted by the Louisiana State University AgCenter on April 24.

Sonny Ramaswamy, director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, said scientists in agriculture, nutrition, and related fields must pursue solutions to problems such as hunger, obesity, and constraints on the availability of nutritious foods.

Scientists should consider how their areas of expertise can fit into the larger picture. Ramaswamy suggested they work with teams of scientists from different fields — and perhaps even different countries — to solve multi-faceted problems in agriculture.

In the United States, one key area in need of improvement is food waste, Ramaswamy said. Americans not only consume too much food, which is largely responsible for the country’s obesity epidemic and skyrocketing health care costs, but they also throw away too much food.

Read more of Ramaswamy's comments on LSU AgCenter web page.

Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

2017 Nominations for Knapp Lectureship

Each year NIFA joins with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) to sponsor a lecture presented at the APLU Annual Meeting. The lecture honors one of the three most important historical figures of the Land-Grant University System, William Henry Hatch for research, Seaman A. Knapp for extension, and Justin Smith Morrill for whom the Morrill Act which created the Land-Grant University System is named.  

NIFA and APLU are seeking nominations to honor Seaman A. Knapp, the father of the Cooperative Extension concept. They are seeking an insightful topic and a dynamic speaker, who can provoke discussion among meeting participants and prepare a formal lecture to be presented at the APLU meeting in Washington, DC, Nov. 12-14. While we seek recommendations from those within the Land-Grant University System, we encourage the nominations of colleagues outside of the research, education, and extension system, including stakeholders, foundations, public interest groups, or international organizations. Nominations are encouraged from all sources.

Recommendations should include the nominee name, title, address, telephone number, email address, and discussion topic. Submit nominations and topics electronically to Kimberly Whittet on or before June 30, 2017. A committee will review submissions and narrow the scope of recommendations to make a final decision.

Where Do I Find Back Issues of NIFA Update?

The NIFA Update is now online. All back issues are included for this year and 2016. The page also includes a link to subscribe to NIFA Update. Submit articles for NIFA Update, or any questions, to: NIFAUpdate@nifa.usda.gov.  

FFAR Elected Board Chair

The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) Board of Directors elected Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum to chair the board, effective immediately.

Keenum was appointed to the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research board in August 2014 by then-Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Outgoing chair Dan Glickman, former Agriculture Secretary and Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program, will remain on the Board Executive Committee as Past Chair.

Read the full release for new slate of officers.

Photo Caption: MSU President Mark E. Keenum, left, newly elected chair of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research board, accepts the gavel from Dan Glickman, outgoing FFAR board chair, and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Also congratulating Keenum is Sally Rockey, FFAR executive director. 

First Recipient of NAS Prize in Food and Agricultural Sciences 

Dr. Edward Buckler, a research geneticist focused on nutrition and food security, accepted the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences as part of the Academy's 154th Annual Meeting in Washington.

The annual $100,000 NAS Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences was established in 2016. Support is from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to recognize research by a mid-career scientist at a U.S. institution who has made an extraordinary contribution to agriculture.

Buckler, a USDA-Agricultural Research Service researcher and adjunct professor of plant breeding and genetics at Cornell University, studies the connection between a crop plant's genetic makeup and the physical traits exhibited by different strains. His work includes development of a solution to vitamin A deficiency, a life-threatening issue in the developing world. 

Photo Caption: NAS President Marcia McNutt, NAS Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences Recipient Ed Buckler, and Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, and Chair of the NAS Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences Selection Committee Barbara Schaal.
Photo Credit: National Academy of Sciences 

Read more about the NAS Prize on FFAR web page. 

FY 2017 House Agriculture Appropriations Committee Omnibus Summary

The Agriculture appropriations portion of the Omnibus focuses investments in programs that bolster U.S. agriculture, support rural communities, maintain and promote food and drug safety, and provide nutrition for those in need. In total, the bill allows for $153.4 billion in both discretionary and mandatory funding, $16 billion below the previous administration’s request and $12.8 billion above the fiscal year 2016 enacted level. This net increase is related to mandatory spending outside the committee’s jurisdiction. Discretionary funding alone provided by the bill is $20.88 billion, $623 million below the fiscal year 2016 enacted level and $349 million below the previous administration’s request. Read full Omnibus summary.

Growing Jobs and Economic Opportunity: Perspectives on the 2018 Farm Bill from Michigan

A hearing is scheduled for May 6, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Michigan State University's Saginaw Valley Research and Extension Center in Frankenmuth, Michigan.

For more information and a list of witnesses view the live video site.