The Chicago Council on Foreign Affairs and IFPRI co-sponsored the event Connecting the Dots: How Agriculture Can Contribute to Global Health on October 12 in conjunction with the World Food Prize Symposium in Des Moines, Iowa.
Panelists discussed recent work exploring the intersection of agriculture and health. Robert Paarlberg, professor of political science at Wellesley College, highlighted findings from The Chicago Council’s new report on how agriculture and food policy can help prevent chronic disease as well as from his IFPRI 2020 paper on governance and the dietary transition. Rajul Pandya-Lorch, Head of the 2020 Vision Initiative at IFPRI, discussed key outcomes that emerged from the 2020 Conference in New Delhi. Pamela Anderson, director general of the International Potato Center (CIP), concluded with a presentation on CIP’s Sweet Potato for Profit and Health Initiative and its impact on food security. All of the presentations reiterated the need for further exploration on how agriculture and health are connected.