Increasing the Resilience of the Food Systems
In Islamic States in Face of Future Food Crises
66
products (including fruit and vegetables) direct from farmers and distributes them to food
banks.249
The USDA provides extensive insurance programs to support farmers. The Federal Crop
Insurance program is the most extensive program offered by the government, with over 290
million acres insured, covering over 80% of crops planted across the U.S. Revenue insurance is
the most popular form of coverage, paying out to growers when gross revenues fall below a
specified level.250
Table 36: Examples of other support mechanism provided by the U.S. government
Area Initiative Description and Examples
Food
Availability
Urban
Farming
Through cooperation between governments and local organizations, cities
are using urban spaces to grow agricultural produce. The Distributed
Urban Agriculture Program in Bryan, Texas, launched in 2012 Texas, is an
example of one such initiative.251
Food Access Fresh Food
Financing
City and local governments have sought to provide incentives to attract
supermarkets and grocery stores to low-income neighborhoods.
Pennsylvania’s Fresh Food Financing Initiative, for instance, has offered
$120 million in financial incentives since inception in 2004.252
Building Resilience: The U.S. Experience and Future Planning
First, R&Dhas played a critical role in boosting U.S. food production and enhancing productivity,
with the government spending $4 billion on R&D in 2015, growing at a cumulative annual
growth rate of 5% since 2015. The private sector has spent a larger sum ($6.4 billion) on R&D.253
Universities play a particularly important role in agricultural research in the U.S, accounting for
three-quarters of public spending on Agricultural R&D.254 The federal government instituted a
land grant system in 1862 throughwhich ownership of landwas transferred to individual States
provided colleges were established that provided education in Agriculture, with such colleges
expected to undertake research projects.255 Many of these projects are supported via USDA
grants awarded by the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA). In the FY 2018
FarmBill, Congress re-authorized $700 million per year for NISA’s research program, with the
following priority areas: Plants; Animals; Food Safety; Bioenergy; Agriculture Systems and
Technology; and Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities.
249 USDA. (2014, January 6). USDA to Provide Additional Support to Food Banks, Soup Kitchens, and Food Pantries Across the
Country. Retrieved fro
250 USDA. (2018, August 24). Government Programs& Risk – Major RiskManagement Programs. Retrieved from
251 Foodtank. (2013). Five Examples of Successful Urban Agriculture Done DifferentlyAround theWorld. Retrieved
fro
252 Evans, Dwight. (2010, March 4). Report on Key Issues from the House AppropriationsCommittee. Retrieved from
253 USDA ERS - Agricultural Research Funding in the Public and Private Sectors. (2019, February 15). Agricultural Research
Funding in the Public and Private Sectors." Retrieved fro
254 Philip G. Pardey, Julian M. Alston, and Connie Chan-Kang. (2013, April). Public Food and Agricultural Research in the
United States: The Rise and Decline of Public Investments, and Policies for Renewal. Retrieved from
255 National Academy Press. (1995). Colleges of Agriculture at the Land Grant Universities: A Profile.. Retrieved from