Vilsack: Ukraine War Makes Addressing Hunger More Challenging

Efforts to feed the world's growing populations is under more strain than normal right now, partly because of disruptions in food supplies coming out of Ukraine.

"We have a twin challenge here," noted USDA head Tom Vilsack. "We've got an immediate global food security challenge by virtue of the disruption that the invasion has caused and the impact it's going to have on unstable, potentially unstable, conditions in the Middle East, in North Africa, because of food shortages."

The response to that challenge has been sending emergency food donations, normally dependent on supplies from Ukraine. But Vilsack says this global food situation, plus climate change, wouldn't necessitate an increase in food production by US farmers.

"And one thing we could do is look for ways, creative ways, to help double cropping opportunities expand. Expand the number of counties that are insured, figure out other administrative ways to make it easier for farmers reducing the risk of double cropping."

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