Food Protection Trends - October 2012 - (Page 602)

JOhN h. sILLIkER LECTuRE Challenges in Food Security and Food Protection Dr. Catherine Woteki am honored to have been asked to deliver the 2012 John H. Silliker lecture, named for a such a distinguished figure in food protection. Silliker’s life and work are a testament to two themes I’d like to address today – the convergence of the many food and ag-related challenges we face, and the vital importance of working creatively, across sectors and globally to solve these challenges. I am USDA’s Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, and as some of you might know, formerly USDA’s Under Secretary for Food Safety. With USDA’s broad portfolio of expertise in agriculture, food, and nutrition, we are committed to continuing to produce the research to make sure our agricultural and food systems are meeting our needs – now and into the future. In a rapidly shrinking world with a rapidly growing population, we’re seeing a convergence of many health-, food- and natural resource-related issues. The connection is agriculture – our primary interface with the natural environment as we work to feed ourselves. The air we breathe, the water and food we ingest are essential for life. Healthy, safe and nutritious food and clean and plentiful water depend on healthy and safe agricultural systems. And in a shrinking, interconnected world, serious challenges to this system show up at an ever faster rate. We must stay ahead of this curve. This convergence is going to require a coordination and intensification of our research efforts across all sectors and internationally as well, because, as you all know, pathogens don’t recognize borders. But while we work to protect, we are also going to need to promote. The latter can only happen hand in hand with the I former. We can do this if we continue pursuing a sustainable and science-based intensification of agriculture, fostering food systems that promote lifelong health for people and long-term sustainable agroecosystems. The U.S. has been immensely fortunate to have some of the lowest-cost, safest food in the world, and a wide variety of food to choose from. Though we do import many products, when it comes down to it, we’re actually one of the few countries in the world able to raise enough food to feed ourselves. Most years we are likewise blessed with abundant water resources that fuel our diverse economy. The impact of this year’s drought is still not fully known, but it will have effects here and globally. But American agriculture’s success in most years isn’t a lucky accident – it’s the result of hard working farmers and ranchers, innovative research and technology transfer, and the right policies to support it. But keeping this system going is going to require adaptation. As I’m sure many of you are aware, the U.N. now projects world population to surpass 9 billion by mid-century. Producing food for these additional two billion people will be a challenge in and of itself. Adding to that challenge, a recent U.N. assessment of global land resources found a quarter of all land “highly degraded,” placing additional strain on existing resources. We also know that 60-75 percent of emerging human disease outbreaks of the past 60 years have come from infectious diseases that have jumped from animals to humans. And with 70 percent of freshwater used for irrigation, by 2025, 1.8 billion people could be living in regions with absolute water scarcity, with two-thirds of the world population potentially under stress conditions. The short story here is that our planet has a serious food and water crisis on the horizon – projected demand substantially outpacing supply. FAO estimates that farmers will need to increase production by 70 percent by 2050 to meet demand. Given this, it’s becoming increasingly evident that agriculture and natural resources are squarely at the crossroads of the world’s most critical problems: sustainable food production, water availability, growing energy demand, and human health. And we all know the serious effects that climate change is already beginning to have. 602 FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS | OCTOBER 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - October 2012

Food Protection Trends - October 2012
Contents
Sustaining Members
From Your President
Commentary from the Executive Director
The CHEF Project
Characteristics of Food Contact Surface Materials
IAFP 2012 In Review
Award Winners
Black Pearl Award Winner
Ivan Parkin Lecture
John H. Silliker Lecture
Travel Award for State or Local Health or State Agricultural Department Employees
Student Travel Scholarships
Minutes of the 2012 Annual Business Meeting
Committee Minutes
Executive Board Response to Committee Recommendations
Silent Auction Results
Exhibitors of IAFP 2012
New Members
What’s Happening in Food Safety
Industry Products
Coming Events
Advertising Index
Journal of Food Protection Table of Contents
Membership Application

Food Protection Trends - October 2012