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Jacobs-Young discusses the battle against hunger with NASDA members
A USDA official says farmers and ranchers face an uphill battle in the fight against hunger.
Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young says the global population is expected to exceed nine billion by 2050. “We will need almost 70% more food, 30% more water, and over 50% more energy production,” she said.
She says more federal investments in ag research are needed in the 2023 Farm Bill to help meet food security goals. “The United States now trails other major nations in public agricultural research investments, declining by a third in the past two decades.”
Jacobs-Young says more than 700 million people globally are food insecure.
She spoke during the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture’s recent meeting in Cheyenne, Wyoming.