Read-out of the FAO Director-General’s meeting with the US Secretary of Agriculture, the Honorable Thomas J. Vilsack

Washington, D.C. - FAO Director-General, Dr QU Dongyu, and Thomas J. Vilsack, Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), met and discussed longstanding cooperation between FAO and the United States of America (USA).

The meeting reaffirmed the importance of the strong partnership between FAO and the USA, with the Director-General expressing his appreciation for the USA’s steadfast and consistent support to the mandate of the Organization.

The Secretary commended the Director-General for the trajectory of FAO under his leadership, in particular noting the progress that has been made on science and innovation and in engagement with the private sector.

The Secretary also provided a brief summary of a new US Department of Agriculture (USDA) programme, entitled Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, which aims to support US farmers and expand markets for the country’s climate-smart commodities. Earlier this month the Secretary announced that USDA’s anticipated investment under the programme, starting with pilot projects, may be approximately USD 3 billion over the next 3-5 years. He also noted that USDA expect to learn a lot from the programme in terms of identifying innovative agricultural practices.

The Director-General commended the Secretary for the approach adopted, and highlighted that USDA’s leading role in agricultural innovation is crucial for global agrifood systems transformation.

The Director-General also invited the Secretary to the Global Conference on Sustainable Plant Production, with the themes Innovation, Efficiency and Resilience, that will take place at FAO from 2-4 November 2022. He also informed the Secretary that the World Food Forum, the Science and Innovation Forum, and the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum will all take place in Rome, Italy during the week of 17-21 October, and expressed his hope that the United States of America could participate.

The Director-General and the Secretary also discussed that data and science-based solutions are critical to the work of FAO and its Members. They also discussed the importance of integrated water management and seeds, with the Director-General noting these would be increasingly important areas of work for FAO moving forward.

The Director-General also provided a brief overview of the three new strategies recently emplaced to support implementation of FAO’s Strategic Framework 2022-31: the FAO Strategy on Climate Change, the FAO Strategy on Science and Innovation Strategy, and FAO’s Strategy for Private Sector Engagement.