U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack addressed the country?s goals to end hunger and malnutrition during the United Nations Food Systems Summit on Thursday.
Vilsack explained that the USDA is investing billions of dollars to build more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive food systems.
?The United States has committed $10 billion over the next five years,? said Vilsack. ?Five billion of it will be focused domestically on a more inclusive food system, focused on providing assistance and help to our most vulnerable citizens, women in agriculture, and underserved producers. And it will focus on greater resiliency in support local and regional supply chains, and making sure we have a system that can serve throughout major disruptions.?
?An additional $5 billion will be committed over the next five years internationally,? he continued. ?Really focused on trying to achieve the goal of reducing poverty by 20 percent. This will focus primarily on food systems, increasing funding for food security and agricultural production.?
Vilsack says these efforts are guided by USDA?s deep commitment to science-based, data-driven decision-making and innovative solutions, and the recognition that trade and well-functioning markets at the local, regional and international levels bolster food security and sustainable food systems.
?The U.S. is certainly in sync with the UN goals of leveraging the power of food systems to drive recovery from COVID,? said Vilsack. ?In the United States we are focused on ending hunger and food insecurity at home, and building back better our food systems here and abroad so that they are more sustainable, more resilient, more inclusive and more equitable.?
For the Summit, USDA led U.S. efforts to promote the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate, or AIM4C, with the goal of dramatically increasing public and private investment in climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation.
