AGree, a new initiative to transform food and agricultural policy, today unveiled the members of its Research Committee, which will provide expert advice on research and analysis needed to better understand food and agriculture systems in order to help AGree develop effective policy solutions.  

The Research Committee is composed of a diverse group ofindividuals and perspectives from the academic community who provide a wealth of scientific food and agriculture knowledge matched with a working understanding of federal policy and markets. The Committee will guide the commissioning of analytical studies and thought pieces on AGree’s issues, as well as participate in and facilitate informative panels that lead to a better understanding across academic and policy fields.

AGree’s mission is to transform food and agriculture policy to address the tremendous challenges we face at home and abroad: feeding a growing population, enhancing environmental sustainability, and ensuring our farmers and rural communities have a bright future. The Research Committee is a core component of AGree’s strategy to improve our food and agriculture systems through policy changes that incorporate some of the brightest thinking and best data available.

“The Research Committee will consider what research and thinking are needed to inform new developments in the food and agriculture sphere, providing valuable insight into our problems and solutions,” said Mil Duncan, Research Director for AGree. “We’re fortunate that thinkers of such stature – and with such busy schedules – are excited about this opportunity and have been able to commit their time to AGree.”

The committee members were hand picked through a highly selective process, with each coming strongly recommended from their peers.  

“Each member of the committee has a reputation for being a rigorous researcher with a penchant for seeking to answer tough questions and a commitment to integrative work,” said Deborah Atwood, Executive Director of AGree. “The Co-Chairs and I are thrilled to be bringing their efforts and experience together under AGree.”

The members of the research committee are:

Bruce Babcock - Professor of Economics and Director for the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at Iowa State University;

Chris Barrett - Stephen B. and Janice G. Ashley Professor of Applied Economics and Management and International Professor of Agriculture at Cornell;

Ken Cassman - Systems Agronomist at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and chair of the Independent Science and Partnership Council (ISPC) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research;

Douglas Jackson-Smith - Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in Sociology at Utah State University;

John Reganold - Regents Professor of Soil Science and Agroecology at Washington State University;

Beatrice (Bea) Rogers - Professor of Economics and Food Policy and Director of the Food Policy and Applied Nutrition Program at Tufts University;

Katherine (Kitty) Smith - Chief Economist and Vice President for Programs at American Farmland Trust;

Tom Tomich - Professor and founding Director of the UC Davis Agricultural SustainabilityInstitute; and

Parke Wilde - Associate Professor in the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.

To view the full bios and pictures of the Research Committee, click here.

The Co-Chairs of AGree are Dan Glickman, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture under President Bill Clinton and a former congressman from Kansas for 18 years; Gary Hirshberg, chairman, president and “CE-Yo” of Stonyfield Farm; Jim Moseley, former deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of Agriculture under President George W. Bush and Indiana farmer for more than 40 years; and, Emmy Simmons, former assistant administrator for Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade at the U.S. Agency for International Development and a board member for several organizations engaged in international agriculture and global development.