Increasing the Resilience of the Food Systems
In Islamic States in Face of Future Food Crises
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countries to mitigate, adapt, and increase their resilience in the face of food insecurity drivers
and potential food security crises.
2.3. Food Security Policy Stakeholders – Best Practices
The role of government agencies and regulators is instrumental in managing and boosting food
security. As the following sections show, both Ireland and the United States have worked on
establishing proper food security governance structures, monitoring and disaster preparedness,
and a range of risk and vulnerability reduction measures to mitigate risk of food insecurity. Both
countries havewell-defined roles for the various governmentbodiesentrustedwithensuringfood
security and comprehensive monitoring systems in place to monitor agricultural production,
market information, poverty levels, and nutritional status. Both Ireland and the U.S. also provide
robust safety nets for vulnerable groups, especially low-income groups andsmall-holderfarmers—
which include subsidies and insurance for farmers, nutritional programs, and support to improve
access to food for low-income groups.
Investors andmarket participants also play an important role in the food security system, as food
supply chains and markets are primarily managed by private sector players. Thus, collaboration
between the private sector and governments is essential to ensure food security. In Ireland,
industry collaborates with the government on the Agriculture Sustainability Support and
Advisory Program to encourage sustainable farming and abide by the rigorous water quality
requirements.77 In the U.S., the private sector invests extensive funds in research and
development to find innovative farming methods; private sector expenditure on research
amounted to $6.4 billion in 2015.78
Research provided by universities and think tanks, helps inform policymaking and provide
frameworks for monitoring andevaluation. In Ireland, University College Dublin, in collaboration
with the Irish National Meteorological Service, developed a new global climatemodel to analyze
impacts of global climate change on Ireland.79 University College Cork, in collaboration with the
Agriculture and Food Development Authority, have established the Strategic Alliance in Food
Research, which will set a single portal for food companies to provide them with easier access
the latest research and innovation expertise. 80 In the U.S., Colorado State University, in
collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, developed COMET-farm, a whole farm and
ranch greenhouse gas accounting system to help farmers improve their management
practices.81
Industry associations represent an important link between government bodies and the private
sector, which encourage adherence to national food security plans and promote private sector
77 FoodWise 2025. . (n.d.). Steps to success 2018. Retrieved from
foodandtheeconomy/foodwise2025/stepstosuccess2018/section8.html
78 USDA ERS - Agricultural Research Funding in the Public and Private Sectors. (2019, February 15).Agricultural Research
Funding in the Public and Private Sectors. Retrieved
funding-in-the-public-and-private-sectors/
79 DCCAE. (2018, January 19). National Adaptation Framework. Retrieved
action/topics/adapting-to-climate-change/national-adaptation-framework/Pages/default.aspx
80 The Agriculture and Food Development Authority website. Retrieved
innovation/consortiums/uccteagasc-strategic-alliance/
81 COMET-Farmwebsite. USDA. Retrieved fro