The team behind Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global food security initiative, is preparing their vision for the next five years — and making sure that Silicon Valley’s technology entrepreneurs are a part of it.
The Bay Area is home to a growing number of agriculture technology, or agtech, startups, ranging from robotics to predictive data analytics to the “Internet of Things.” Members of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Food Security spoke with Devex during a recent visit to San Francisco. Building on the momentum of the Global Food Security Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law last month, they are working with USAID’s Global Development Lab to explore how Silicon Valley investors and entrepreneurs might adapt and scale agtech in developing countries.
While these conversations are in their early stages, Danielle Cass, USAID’s tech sector liaison and the key organizer behind the listening and engagement tour, said she has never seen the agency move so quickly from conversation to implementation.
About the author
Catherine Cheneycatherinecheney
Catherine Cheney is the Senior Editor for Special Coverage at Devex. She leads the editorial vision of Devex’s news events and editorial coverage of key moments on the global development calendar. Catherine joined Devex as a reporter, focusing on technology and innovation in making progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to joining Devex, Catherine earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University, and worked as a web producer for POLITICO, a reporter for World Politics Review, and special projects editor at NationSwell. She has reported domestically and internationally for outlets including The Atlantic and the Washington Post. Catherine also works for the Solutions Journalism Network, a non profit organization that supports journalists and news organizations to report on responses to problems.
