Reset The Table

Latest Episodes:

Reframing the Meanings of Food Security Data with Carlo Cafiero Oct 01, 2021

Show notes

FAO Senior statistician and economist Carlo Cafiero joins GFSP director Caitlin Welsh and senior associate Andrew Rzepa to examine the 2021 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report. Dr. Cafiero, one of the authors of the report, highlights critical takeaways and explains the challenges to collecting and reporting food security data globally. Dr. Cafiero also emphasizes the importance of correctly interpreting data and provides suggestions on how to better manage uncertainty in the world.

Realizing a Racially Just Food System with Christopher Bradshaw Sep 17, 2021

Show notes

In the final episode of our Washington Series, Dreaming Out Loud founder and executive director Christopher Bradshaw joins GFSP program manager Eilish Zembilci to illustrate how the long history of racism and inequality in the United States influences present-day food security. Mr. Bradshaw shares the organizational priorities of Dreaming Out Loud and how his team is striving to reverse the harm of the “400-year pandemic of white supremacy” through holistic approaches to food systems and economic empowerment. Mr. Bradshaw also speaks to potential policy solutions at the national and local level, particularly in light of amendments to the D.C. Comprehensive Plan.

Reevaluating Food Insecurity in the Greater Washington Region with Radha Muthiah Sep 15, 2021

Show notes

In the second episode of our Washington Series, Caitlin Welsh interviews Radha Muthiah, president and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank, the largest hunger relief organization in the Washington metro area. Ms. Welsh and Ms. Muthiah discuss the state of food security in the region both prior to and throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly how the pandemic has changed the demographic makeup of the food-insecure population and assumptions about hunger. Ms. Muthiah explains Capital Area Food Bank’s role in advancing access to food and resources across the DMV and how the organization has creatively adapted to the challenges of the pandemic. Finally, Ms. Muthiah speaks to the importance of holistic approaches to food security, the goal of building a truly inclusive regional food system, and opportunities to eradicate hunger.

Returning to Restaurants with Jessica Sidman Sep 13, 2021

Show notes

In this first episode of our three-part Washington Series, Washingtonian magazine food editor Jessica Sidman joins Caitlin Welsh to discuss the D.C. restaurant industry and the challenges it has faced amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Ms. Sidman comments on the resilience of D.C. restaurants and how they have adapted to the abrupt changes caused by the pandemic. Ms. Sidman and Ms. Welsh consider choices various restaurants made not only to keep their businesses afloat, but also to support the D.C. community during a period of increased food insecurity. Ms. Sidman also shares which pandemic-induced shifts may become permanent fixtures in the restaurant industry and what we may expect for restaurant employees in the future. She also offers her best prediction on President Biden’s next D.C. restaurant outing.

Reconciling the History of Famine in Ethiopia and the Current Humanitarian Crisis with Alex DeWaal Aug 20, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, guest hosts Kimberly Flowers and Jacob Kurtzer are joined by Alex DeWaal, Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation and a Research Professor at The Fletcher School of Tufts University, to discuss the current humanitarian crisis and famine in Ethiopia. Dr. DeWaal describes the historical context that led Ethiopia to its current crisis, explaining how Ethiopia’s prior success in reducing hunger devolved into today’s famine. In addition, Dr. DeWaal discusses famine’s changing role in conflict and humanitarian crises writ large and the international community’s role in defining and reducing famine. Finally, Dr. DeWaal recommends actions international institutions can take to maintain an ethics-based multilateral world order.

Reorienting Humanitarian Responses for Long-Term Food Security Solutions with Tjada McKenna Aug 06, 2021

Show notes

Tjada McKenna, CEO of Mercy Corps, joins CSIS’s Caitlin Welsh and Jacob Kurtzer to discuss food security programming in conflict and crisis settings. Ms. McKenna emphasizes the importance of long-term approaches to humanitarian work, especially for nutrition and food security outcomes. She also describes the impacts of Covid-19 on Mercy Corps and the humanitarian aid sector writ large, including how the pandemic has exacerbated some crises while also enabling new perspectives and responses. Finally, she shares some steps Congress and the humanitarian community can take to make interventions more effective moving forward.

Reassessing Global Food Security amid Covid-19 with Jo Swinnen Jul 23, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Caitlin Welsh and Johan Swinnen, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute, sit down to discuss IFPRI’s reorganization and how research had to adapt amid challenges posed by Covid-19. Swinnen details a holistic view of the current state of food insecurity and its contributing factors, focusing on economic causes, the diverse implications of Covid-19, and the distribution of food insecurity across regions and rural/urban divides. Caitlin Welsh and Jo Swinnen also consider what we may discover retroactively about the current moment, what to expect in the future, and possible implications of the September 2020 UN Food Systems Summit.

Resetting the Global Food Security Agenda with Ambassador Ertharin Cousin Jul 07, 2021

Show notes

In this first episode of Reset the Table, Ambassador Ertharin Cousin discusses the differences between today’s global food security crisis and the 2007-2008 global food-price crisis, and ways global responses should differ accordingly. Ambassador Cousin addresses the rise of non-communicable diseases related to poor diets, the impacts of climate change on global food security, the rise of food insecurity in urban areas. Caitlin Welsh and Ambassador Cousin also discuss the ways food insecurity mirrors patterns of racial inequalities in the United States, the U.S. response to food insecurity during the Covid-19 pandemic, and what is required of a comprehensive global food security agenda that addresses these concurrent challenges.

Revisiting the Single Story about Global Food Security Jul 07, 2021

Show notes

In the past, there was a “single story” about global food security—that food insecurity existed outside U.S. borders, among farming communities—that lent itself to a simple policy solution: increasing agricultural production in developing countries. It is still incredibly important to do this—but not only this. As demographics change, geopolitics shift, Covid-19 surges, climate change causes temperature and weather extremes worldwide, and societies address the realities of racial inequalities, today’s food insecurity requires new solutions. On Reset the Table, we’ll make room at the table for fresh ideas for solving food insecurity around the world and right here at home.

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