The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) [at DuPont Food Security] recently convened a panel of experts on natural resources, climate change, water security, and sustainable agriculture to help expand the scope of the Global Food Security Index(GFSI). Sponsored by DuPont, the GFSI is a comprehensive assessment of food affordability, availability, and quality in 113 countries across the world. First released in 2012, the Index identifies factors that drive food security, determines country strengths and weaknesses, and highlights areas of action and food system gaps.
In today’s food security and agriculture sectors, there is a growing focus on resource conservation and climate change adaptation as well as acknowledgement that a comprehensive analysis of food security should include climate-related risks and sustainable agricultural practices. To help build these factors into the GFSI, the EIU and DuPont hosted a day-long workshop with senior-level specialists from academia, multilaterals and NGOs, government, and the private sector.
Panel members included: Joe Glauber, International Food Policy Research Institute; Elise Golan, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Susanna Hecht, University of California at Los Angeles; Karin Kemper, World Bank; Catie Lee, Land O’Lakes; Shaun Martin, World Wildlife Fund; Dawn Rittenhouse, DuPont; Allison Thomson, Field to Market; Sonja Vermeulen, CGIAR Climate Change; and Sara Walker, World Resources Institute.