News

All scales of agriculture needed to feed the world

The President and CEO of Catholic Relief Services says both large and small operations are needed to feed the world.

Sean Callahan says supporting smaller farmers will help increase food production with less resources.

“I just came back from South Sudan where I met with some people who are planting ground nut and they’re doing it as a community,” he says. “We gave them a little investment and they told me next year when you come back, we’ll double it, and the year after that we’ll double it again. ”

Chris Policinski, president and CEO of Land O’ Lakes, says there is a need for all scales of agriculture, but giving smaller farms the opportunity to grow is crucial to feeding the world.

“I think a natural progression of the benefits of scale can be that small farmer buying some land next door, and buying the adjacent property allowing those families to do something else,” he says. “That’s a progression we’ve seen over time in this country and others.”

He says hopes to see a similar progression in food insecure parts of the world over time.

Policinski and Callahan were part of a discussion on food security at Purdue University on Monday.

Audio: discussion on food security with Chris Policinski, Sean Callahan, and Mitch Daniels