By Tom Ellison and Noah Fritzhand
Last week was an active time in Washington for the intersection of food, climate change, and US national security, featuring the rollout of a new Center for Climate and Security (CCS) report and the announcement of a new US food security policy initiative.
CCS’s Feeding Resilience
On September 16, CCS hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill launching its new Feeding Resilience report. The event garnered a large interdisciplinary crowd from both sides of the Congressional aisle, the US interagency, NGOs, and academia. CCS Advisory Board member Lieutenant General John G. Castellaw (USMC, Ret.) and CCS Senior Advisor and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Education and Training Caroline Baxter offered a framing discussion on food, climate change, and the US military, followed by an overview of the report from CCS Director Erin Sikorsky and CCS Deputy Director Tom Ellison. Lieutenant General Castellaw’s remarks reinforced his endorsement of the Feeding Resilience report:
“My family has farmed in America for 300 years and, when required, taken up arms in her defense. Continuing that heritage as a farmer and as a Marine, I’ve seen what a tough challenge food insecurity and climate change pose, whether impacting US citizens here at home or making conflicts worse abroad. I strongly endorse The Feeding Resilience recommendations pushing the US Government forward in addressing these threats.”
Attendees and panelists discussed the stability benefits of US agricultural innovation, the role of international legal frameworks on weaponization of food, the role of food security in US-China relations, and the criticality of US interagency collaboration on food security. Read the Feeding Resilience storymap and full report for analysis and recommendations endorsed by 30+ national security leaders, including former US combatant commanders, ambassadors, intelligence leaders, and heads of USAID and the World Food Program.
USAID’s Feed the Future Accelerator
Meanwhile, on September 19th, US executive branch leaders, bipartisan congressional leaders, African government counterparts, and private sector partners gathered for the US Global Leadership Coalition-sponsored launch of the Feed the Future Accelerator, a new initiative of USAID’s signature food security program. The initiative marshals $80 million in US funding and $150 million in private sector commitments, in partnership with Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia, to develop a regional breadbasket that would improve food security, climate resilience, and stability across Sub Saharan Africa.
The program reflects key themes of the Feeding Resilience report, including bipartisan support for strategic investments and diplomatic partnerships for a secure food system. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and USAID Administrator Samantha Power highlighted the security imperative, geopolitical dividends, and cost effectiveness of the Accelerator’s investments in agricultural modernization and productivity, food storage and distribution infrastructure, and climate resilient crops. African Union Ambassador to the United States Hilda Suka-Mafudze discussed African governments’ commitment to food security initiatives and partnership with the United States, while Bayer Executive Vice President Matthias Berninger made the business case for agricultural resilience investments and announced a $45 million commitment to a new seed production facility in the region. Underscoring notable bipartisan Congressional support on food security despite disagreements on climate change and other issues, Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), Senator John Boozman (R-AR), Representative Gregory Meeks (D-NY 5th), and Representative Tracey Mann (R-KS 1st) offered supportive remarks. View the event here.
CCS applauds this effort and will continue to explore the Feeding Resilience recommendations in public and private events, this year and beyond.
“COVID, conflict, and climate change has eroded decades of forward progress on food security….If parents cannot feed their children, nothing else matters…and our own national security will be impaired….It’s been a bipartisan effort [and] it goes to show you that this is something that doesn’t see politics or party. – National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (Source: US Global Leadership Coalition)
“We will create an engine that can help feed hungry people, not just in these 3 countries, but across Africa; and that is the kind of long-term resilience that will reduce pressure on U.S. taxpayers to fund constant emergency responses.” – USAID Administrator Samantha Power (Credit: US Global Leadership Coalition)
“We’ve made incredible progress, but we’re now going backwards…because of climate shocks, because of conflict….Food security brings everyone together…the D’s & the R’s lay down their differences…because the American people, the people of the world…need to understand that we’re facing a global food crisis.” – Former World Food Programme Executive Director and Republican Governor of South Carolina David Beasley (Credit: US Global Leadership Coalition)