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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently hosted a high-level Food Security Dialogue with the Philippines Department of Agriculture that showcased critical bilateral efforts to address global food security and climate change.
USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis M. Taylor and Philippines Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Policy, Planning, and Regulations Mercedita Sombilla chaired an interagency meeting with representatives from the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The dialogue highlighted partnerships and programming that support food security in the Philippines and promote international endeavors to reduce the impact of climate change.
Under Secretary Taylor unveiled two new efforts to further U.S.-Philippine cooperation:
USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service will launch a new Faculty Exchange Program between leading U.S. and Philippine universities to advance collaboration on veterinary sciences, which includes addressing sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues and technical barriers to trade.
The U.S. Department of Commerce is co-sponsoring an AgTech trade mission to Davao City and Manila, Philippines, with the Business Council for International Understanding later this year. The mission will focus on agrichemicals and fertilizers, digital and precision agriculture, cold chain facilities, aquaculture, and other industry sectors.
"The United States and the Philippines have a long history of cooperation and partnership in identifying and implementing solutions to help tackle challenges impacting our citizens, our countries, and the world," Taylor said.