News: Chemonics Contributes to USAID’s Frontiers in Development Forum

How will the international development community eradicate extreme poverty by 2030? On September 18 and 19, 600 global thought leaders and international development practitioners will gather in Washington, D.C., for the Frontiers in Development Forum to address this question. Chemonics contributed to the event with an article in the Frontiers in Development book, a collection of essays intended to foster meaningful debate and an exchange of ideas on ending extreme poverty.

Written by Chemonics’ agriculture experts Ilisa Gertner and Neal Donahue, “A Central Challenge for Ending Poverty: Resolving the Tension Between Agricultural Growth and Nutrition” posits that there is often an underlying tension between the “seemingly complementary goals” of agricultural growth and increased production and consumption of nutritious food. Development programs must be designed to increase farmers’ incomes and the demand and supply of nutritious food.

According to Gertner and Donahue, “As Feed the Future enters into its next phase and the larger development community commits to eradicating extreme poverty by 2030, now is a crucial time for donors and partners to more fully integrate nutrition and agriculture toward improving the lives of people living in poverty.”

Most contributions were penned by well-known luminaries, such as Secretary of State John Kerry, Chief Economist for USAID Stephen A. O’Connell, and President of the Rockefeller Foundation Judith Rodin. Others were culled from USAID staff through an agency competition. Chemonics’ essay won a contest open to the public through a USAID – Devex partnership.

Although the book of essays and photographs accompanies the forum as a tool to initiate forward-looking discussion, the forum itself provides members of the development community the opportunity to discuss challenges and offer solutions to reach the 2030 goal. Speakers include Secretary of State Kerry, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, and former Secretary of State and Chair of the Albright Stonebridge Group Madeleine Albright. Chemonics’ President and CEO Susanna Mudge will attend with several other executives.

“We are excited to be a part of the Frontiers in Development Forum,” said Ms. Mudge. “We believe in the power of innovation to help improve the lives of others, and we see the forum as an excellent opportunity to bring thought leaders and practitioners together to develop sustainable solutions to help eradicate extreme poverty.”