Waste Less To Feed More

Posted by Robert D. Hormats / February 15, 2013

In this photo taken Tuesday, May 1, 2012, Indian farmers and migrant laborers harvest wheat crop on the outskirts of Amritsar, India. [AP File Photo]

I recently spoke at the 13th annual Delhi Sustainable Development Summit in New Delhi, India. My remarks focused largely on the importance of creating a good environment for investment in the agricultural sector. I emphasized the particular need to improve food supply chains that connect farmers to markets. Significant additional improvements in food supply chain infrastructure are needed to reduce post-harvest food losses, which are disturbingly high in many parts of the world.

Some important progress already has been made. The Government of India recently took steps to open India's multi-brand retail sector to encourage foreign direct investment. This investment is critical for India's overall economic growth prospects as well as the development of India's food storage and distribution industry. As Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh explained, an organized and efficient… more »

Posted under: South and Central Asia

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Multilateral Organizations Play Important Role in the Asia-Pacific

Posted by Kurt Campbell / January 17, 2013

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton poses for the ASEAN family photo in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on July 12, 2012. [State Department photo by William Ng/ Public Domain]

Regional multilateral organizations play an increasingly important role in the Asia-Pacific and the United States further strengthened its engagement with these institutions. The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), East Asia Summit (EAS), and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) all play a vital role in mobilizing common action for shared concerns. President Obama made his fifth trip to the region in November to attend the East Asia Summit and meet the leaders of the 10 member states of ASEAN. The trip included… more »

Posted under: East Asia and the Pacific

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Support for Entrepreneurship and Women’s Empowerment Among U.S. Priorities in South and Central Asia

Posted by Robert O. Blake / January 13, 2013

Afghan women gather during the opening ceremony of the Sahar Gul net cafe, the first internet cafe for women, opened in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 8, 2012. [AP File Photo]

Rabia Mariam is a businesswoman who employs an all-women workforce to manufacture scarves and rugs from silk, cotton-silk blend, and wool in Mazar-e-Sharif, in northern Afghanistan. Working with the USAID IDEA-NEW program, she employs nearly 1,000 women -- many of them widows. Many of these Afghan women raise silkworms at home and boil cocoons, and go to weaving centers to weave the scarves and other handicrafts. Rabia's work is bringing economic opportunity and hope to Afghan women.

I had the privilege of meeting Rabia and learning about her work at the South Asia Women's Entrepreneurship Symposium, which was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh last month. The event exemplifies several of our bureau's highest priorities… more »

Posted under: South and Central Asia

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