Arkansan speaks on food insecurity

WASHINGTON — Waldron native Amie Alexander attended the Global Food Security Symposium and was one of 27 student delegates who participated in the program.

The 24-year-old University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, graduate is studying at the Clinton School of Public Service and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.

Alexander spoke on a March 22 panel that included American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall and other leaders. The subject: “Building youth-inclusive agricultural communities in the United States.”

She also spotted a fellow Arkansan — Hot Springs native Suzanne Palmieri, the former minister counselor for agriculture at the U.S. Mission for the United Nations in Rome.

During the symposium, Alexander heard from many experts about the challenges of global food supplies and hunger in the 21st century.

“The areas … in the world that are most susceptible to conflicts are the ones that have the highest issues of insecurity,” she said. “The investments that we make into achieving global food security are inherently making the world a more productive and safer place to live.”

Food production will need to sharply increase in coming decades to keep pace with rapid population growth.

The global population, currently 7.6 billion, is expected to reach 9.8 billion by the year 2050, according to the United Nations.

Alexander, who grew up on a small cattle farm, said she hopes to focus on law and public policy, with an emphasis on agriculture policy, after she graduates in December.