ASA’s World Initiative for Soy in Human Health Executive Director Gena Perry joined a panel of industry leaders for a presentation on how the U.S. private agriculture sector fosters partnerships for food security that drive global trade and market development. Perry and US Agricultural Export Development Council Executive Director Steve Sothmann tag teamed in describing trade-building strategies on the panel at the Association for International Agricultural and Rural Development conference on June 16 in Washington, D.C. Attendees ranged from global economic growth experts to university faculty and young professionals who attended as Future Leaders Forum Fellows.
Perry described how WISHH builds market opportunities for U.S. soy in emerging and developing feed and food markets by leveraging soy checkoff investments with USDA Foreign Agricultural Service and other programs. WISHH is a member of the USAEDC that facilitates USDA-Cooperator public-private partnerships to preserve, differentiate, and expand American agricultural exports.
Robert Thompson, Ph.D., professor emeritus of the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign gave the keynote address, spotlighting the latest research from the Population Reference Bureau. The trends show population growth in high-income countries is projected grow 3 percent between 2024 to 2050. Meanwhile, population in low-middle income countries, including those where WISHH has longstanding partnerships, is projected to grow 22 percent.