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Listen Longer 4/25: Food Security

April 27, 2015  • Institute Contributor

The drought in California and its influence on our food production has been a big issue this spring. This past week on Aspen Institute Radio we took a look at the larger issues of agriculture and food security. The episode features talks on the importance of food security, how agricultural innovation can be good for the economy, and the future of US food policy.

Aspen Institute Radio, our two-hour radio show, airs every Saturday and Sunday on SiriusXM Insight (channel 121). Each episode will dive into the topics that inform the world around you. Here in our weekly Listen Longer posts, we’ll recap each episode and show you where you can read, watch, and listen to more. Don’t have SiriusXM? Try it free for a month here.

Case Studies for Urban Resilience

CityLab

“Resilience is being ready for things that are happening that we may not have control over,” said Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, founding partner, Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co. and co-founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism, at CityLab. “That’s the adaptation response to climate change. What’s important is we know what’s coming so we can plan for it.” Plater-Zyberk explained resilience at CityLab during a panel about building resilient cities.

Interested in more success stories from resilient cities? Rockefeller President Judith Rodin took a look at inspiring cases from around the world in conversation with Aspen Institute President and CEO Walter Isaacson.

Food Game Changer: Agricultural Innovation

Begeman

As the world continues to grow, there are more mouths to feed. From drought-resistant seeds in Africa to growing metropolitan areas in South America, agribusiness is engineering not only food production, but also energy, medicine, and materials in order to change the food landscape on multiple levels. Monsanto President and Chief Operating Officer Brett Begemann took the stage at the Aspen Ideas Festival for an honest conversation about the company and future of innovation in agriculture.

US Food Policy

Agriculture

Two US Secretaries of Agriculture, Dan Glickman and Tom Vilsack, spoke about American food policies.

What’s it like to go from being a Cabinet member to being the designated successor for the US president for a day? Glickman told us about his day being designated successor during President Bill Clinton’s 1997 State of the Union speech.

The Earth in 2050

shell

By the year 2050, Earth will be home to more than nine billion people. When we examine what needs to be done to address the gap between available resources and the growing demand for energy, it becomes clear that the drivers of the world’s energy challenges are the same drivers of our environmental and economic challenges. Washington Post staff writer Joel Achenbach spoke about the challenges with Shell Oil Company President Marvin Odum. 

What other challenges will we face as the world’s population increases? Check out Achenbach’s other conversations about the population challenge and water’s global security threat.

Check out our YouTube playlist for all of this episode’s conversations.

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