The Expo 2015 world's fair showed potential as a backdrop for serious diplomacy as it opened Friday for a six-month run, even as it also served as a lightning rod for anti-globalization protests.(...) Not all of the diplomatic signals around Expo have been positive. India, in a drawn-out dispute with Italy over its determination to put two Italian sailors on trial for the shooting deaths at sea of two fishermen, skipped the global event due to the tensions, Expo organizers said.

Expo Milano 2015 should encourage sustainable food production practices, as well as fight food waste and malnutrition, members of the European Parliament (EP) said on Thursday. In a resolution, MEPs sent a message to the organizers of the expo that "Global food security, fighting food waste and improving the sustainability of agricultural production are matters that require an urgent and international solution."

The United States Agency for International Development has requested $21,8 million to fund political activities in Zimbabwe for 2016, including availing money to the civil society's agenda to "hold Government accountable". Information at hand indicates that some of the countries to receive the money in Sub-Saharan Africa besides Zimbabwe are South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Liberia and Somalia.

The most ambitious attempt yet to reduce soil erosion, increase food security and adapt to climate change is expected to vastly increase the amount of food grown in one of the most drought- and famine-prone areas of the world. 

Over the past few decades, it has become possible to speak of a "global food system"—shorthand for the trade patterns, shaped by multinational companies, that move raw agriculture commodities and processed food across borders. Yet as this fascinating new Oxfam study shows, there are still huge differences in people's experience of food across the globe. Oxfam ranked nations on four criteria: whether food exists in plentiful supply, whether it's broadly affordable, whether it's of good quality, and whether it's causing high rates of obesity and diabetes.

As USAID’s Food for Peace Officer assigned to South Sudan since October 2011, I have seen firsthand how U.S. government food assistance programs are simultaneously supporting communities’ efforts to create assets that strengthen their food security while providing vital timely assistance to food insecure South Sudanese.

In a recent interview with world-renowned Spanish chef José Andrés, we discussed creativity and inspiration, his open and collaborative style of leadership, the many secrets to his success, philanthropic efforts in the U.S. and around the world, and much more.

It seems to me, whether it’s called soft power or smart power, it’s a very wise thing to do to invest in development, and it’s very short-sighted to not see the link between our national security and what’s going on anywhere in the world.