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Former ambassador says food security supports national security  

The former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome says food security helps support national security.

Kip Tom, a seventh-generation farmer from Leesburg, Indiana, tells Brownfield it’s important to think globally about food security.

“Food security around the world is critical, not just within the borders of the United States,” he says. “We need to have a heightened view of what’s going on in other places to make sure we understand how our own risks need to be assessed.”

As ambassador, Tom worked with nearly 200 nations on food programs, emergency assistance, agriculture, safety standards, and more.

“It was an interesting role,” he says. “I come with a lot of technical and policy background. I really tried to use that to my best ability to figure out how we can shape food systems around the world to help those that are getting humanitarian aid to grow their own economies, feed themselves, and be able to live a better life.” 

Brownfield interviewed Tom during the 2023 Purdue Ag Alumni Fish Fry. He received a certificate of distinction during the event.

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