Bilateral meeting with the Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics and Chief Scientist of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Dr Chavonda Jacobs-Young

Rome – FAO Director-General QU Dongyu and Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics and Chief Scientist of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA),met on the sidelines of the World Food Forum (WFF) 2023.

The Director-General and Under Secretary shared views on the importance of science, technology, innovation, investment, enabling policies, and research and development for agrifood systems transformation.

They also briefly discussed youth engagement in agriculture, the role of public-private partnerships in agrifood systems, the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS), the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C), and USDA’s ‘From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals Program’.

The Under Secretary congratulated the Director-General for his re-election to a second term; commended the Director-General for organizing the WFF; and expressed appreciation for his dedication and commitment to science, technology and innovation.

The Director-General thanked the Under Secretary for the USA’s ongoing support to FAO’s mandate; for USDA’s active and continued participation in the WFF; as well as for USDA’s strong leadership in science and innovation in agrifood systems.

He also noted with appreciation the Under Secretary’s upcoming participation in the opening segment of the Science and Innovation Forum, to be held on 18 October 2023.