Media Advisory: Release of the 2022 Global Agricultural Productivity (GAP) Report
New data indicates global inability to sustainably feed a growing, hungry population
What: The world’s food and agricultural systems are under severe stress from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, climate change, and COVID-19, with devastating impacts on food security. Global agricultural productivity growth is in steep decline and current efforts to expand agriculture production in order to feed a swelling global population are inadequate to deal with the challenges that the world faces, according to new findings from the 2022 Global Agricultural Productivity Report (GAP Report). Without swift action and long-term resolve, the systems will remain vulnerable to the environmental, economic, and societal shockwaves.
Who: At this hybrid event hosted by the Global Agricultural Productivity Initiative at Virginia Tech (GAP Initiative), the Coalition on Sustainable Productivity Growth for Food Security and Resource Conservation (SPG Coalition), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, policymakers, private-sector innovators, and research leaders will discuss the need to accelerate agricultural productivity growth and concrete actions to do so. The event will include the release of the 2022 Global Agricultural Productivity Report, produced by CALS Global in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech.
When: October 4, 2022 from 8–11 a.m.
*doors open at 7:30 a.m.; continental breakfast available
Where: National Press Club in Washington, D.C. and online
Registration is required to attend in-person or online.
Media RSVP: Shannon Andrea, Director of Media Relations, Virginia Tech An embargoed copy of the report and press kit materials available upon request. |
Program Agenda:
8:00 a.m. Welcoming remarks
- Dr. Tom Thompson, Associate Dean and Director, CALS Global, Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Dr. Cyril Clarke, Executive Vice President and Provost of Virginia Tech
8:10 a.m. Global Agricultural Productivity Report – Presentation and discussion of data
- Dr. Tom Thompson, Associate Dean and Director, CALS Global, Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Dr. Wei Zhang, Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Virginia Tech
8:35 a.m. Panel Discussion - Strategies for reversing productivity trends and recovering from agricultural system shocks
Moderator: Dr. Jessica Agnew, Associate Director, CALS Global, Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Panelists:
- Stewart Leeth, Chief Sustainability Officer, Smithfield Foods, Inc.
- Andrés Rodriguez, Agriculture Attaché of the government of Chile
- Dr. Canisius Kanangire, Executive Director, African Agricultural Technology Foundation
- Sylvia Megret, President and Chief Executive Officer, ACDI/VOCA
- Keith Fuglie, Senior Economist at USDA Economic Research Service
9:15 a.m. Media interview availability following the discussion.
To view the full agenda and list of speakers, visit: https://globalagriculturalproductivity.org/gap-initiative-at-virginia-tech/agricultural-productivity-2022/
