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Kelsey Barnes with the Farm Journal Foundation believes much of the world is in a food security crisis. She says it’s in our interest to help other nations become more food secure for national security reasons, and because it’s the right thing to do.
Thomas Capps
Food security is national security. Hello and welcome to Tennessee Home and Farm Radio. I’m Thomas Capps
Kelsey Barnes
When other countries around the world are food insecure, it actually raises the rest or US national security.
Thomas Capps
Kelsey Barnes is the director of government affairs with the Farm Journal Foundation. The Farm Journal Foundation works to promote policy that leads to more food security in nations around the world. Barnes sees trends that suggests that the world is in a food security crisis right now. And while things are stable, for the most part here in the US, from a food standpoint, Barnes believes it’s in our interest to help other parts of the world be food secure too.
Kelsey Barnes
When other countries around the world are food insecure, but actually raises the rest or US national security. If you look at how the war in Ukraine has impacted agriculture, right, it’s even playing a role to Tennessee farmers. Tennessee farmers are now growing more wheat than we have in the last several years. So if we were able to look at this at a global scale and its impact, and how the US government is able to invest or deregulate and allow farmers to do their jobs and to be able to help build trade, then we should be caring about that, but also from the faith humanitarian standpoint. We’re very blessed to be born in the US and be able to raise all the crops that we do and unfortunately, there’s people in other areas of the world who aren’t blessed with the amount of seed and technology and innovations that we have. So it’s important that we take care of others too.
Thomas Capps
While it might not be obvious to everyone, Barnes says US farmers play a huge role in feeding the world and keeping the world a safer of a place as possible.
Kelsey Barnes
A lot of times farmers don’t think of themselves as being able to prevent national security risk but food really is security and whenever you’re able to view it that way and be able to take part in that it’s important.
Thomas Capps
As Barnes and others at Farm journal continue to work towards creating good policy to combat food insecurity, farmers will do their part to growing good food and fiber, and be a light to the rest of the world. For Tennessee home and Farm Radio, I’m Thomas Capps.