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US and Philippines team up to tackle food security

The US and Philippines have agreed on joint actions to mitigate climate change and its impact on our future food system, including through investments in agtech and biotechnology.

On 5 May, representatives from the two countries’ respective Departments of Agriculture met and engaged in what the duo called a “high-security dialogue” to discuss their bilateral sustainability efforts and their role in strengthening food security. The US unveiled two new initiatives at the event to progress its cooperation with the Philippines, with the aim of furthering its dual sustainability efforts in the food and agricultural sector.

New food security efforts

Firstly, the ongoing partnership will see the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service release a new faculty exchange programme between universities in the US and the Philippines. The programme seeks to progress collaborative actions in veterinary services. Combatting sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues and technical trade barriers are within the remit of this academic-led food advancement.

The US Department of Commerce is also co-sponsoring a trade mission in agricultural technology (AgTech) to the Filipino cities of Davao City and Manila. Along with the Business Council for International Understanding, the US Department’s AgTech effort will take place later in 2023. It will explore various sectors associated with food security, including the use of agrichemicals and fertilisers, digital and precision agriculture, aquaculture and cold chain facilities.

Impact of insecurity

In the latest figures published in the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022 report, around 2.3 billion people globally were moderately or severely food insecure in 2021. This figure represents 29.3% of the world’s population. In addition, an estimated 828 million people went hungry. Billions of people could not eat healthily or nutritiously due to high costs and low affordability.

On 29 May 2023, the United Nations (UN) released its early warning report, detailing that acute food insecurity is anticipated to rise in magnitude and severity in 18 hunger “hotspots”, consisting of 22 countries, between June to November 2023.

“Not only are more people in more places around the world going hungry, but the severity of the hunger they face is worse than ever,” Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Programme (WFP) said in the report. “Business-as-usual pathways are no longer an option in today’s risk landscape if we want to achieve global food security for all, ensuring that no one is left behind,” said QU Dongyu, director-general, FAO.

A strategic partnership

The interagency meeting took place on 5th May 2023 with Mercedita Sombilla, Under Secretary for Policy, Planning, and Regulations at the Philippines Department of Agriculture; Alexis Taylor, Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, USDA; and US State Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) representatives present.

Together, the parties explored current partnerships and programming supporting food security in the Philippines and pursued international efforts to reduce climate change impact worldwide. The newly-agreed actions follow a meeting between the respective countries’ presidents on 1st May 2023. At the bilateral meeting, US President Joe Biden and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos highlighted the vital function global food security and agricultural trade play.

“The United States and the Philippines have a long history of cooperation and partnership in identifying and implementing solutions to help tackle challenges impacting our citizens, our countries, and the world,” said Alexis Taylor, under secretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs, USDA. “The potential impacts of food insecurity and climate change elevate the urgency of our continued collaboration,” Taylor added.

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Ongoing research

Biotechnology research is underway to identify new ways to improve productivity amid climate change. Together, the US and Philippines’ representatives visited the USDA’s Beltsville Agricultural Research Center to find out more about these efforts.

Programmes, platforms, and initiatives to secure food for the Filipino population are ongoing, stretching to multiple areas of the food supply chain. To date, the US has been involved in a variety of projects, the USDA states. These include those that support food regulators, research gene-editing technology and create digital platforms, along with those that connect farmers and buyers, pursue reforms and legislation to aid production, improve long-term water security and progress capacity building in the country’s coffee industry.

Managing manufacturing

Amid the bilateral agreement, producers strive to answer calls to develop new launches, discover novel approaches, and apply advanced technologies and constructive collaborations to build a sector that secures the future of food and proactively addresses climate change.