Congresswoman Kat Cammack visits UF/IFAS to discuss its global impact

District 3 Congresswoman Kat Cammack says she supports the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in its global efforts to combat food insecurity.

Cammack, who was reelected to a second term earlier this month, met with leaders in the UF/IFAS institute Monday to discuss how its global initiatives have impacted policies in other countries and improved health outcomes.

As Florida's lone Republican on the House Agriculture Committee, she said she understands that there is a correlation between food insecurity, hunger and terrorism.

“There’s no secret that food security is national security,” Cammack said.

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Speakers at the event included IFAS Senior Vice President Scott Angle and Vice President and Director of Global Food Systems Gbola Adegosan, who spoke about how catastrophic events, such as COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war, have contributed to increased levels of food insecurity and proved how agricultural research is vital to feeding the global population.

“You will have the support of our office, not just in name but we will advocate for you," the congresswoman said. "We recognize the importance."

Cammack has been a strong supporter of agriculture research, though getting there to visit IFAS has been a long time coming, Angle said. He said his office has been attempting to link for about a year.

“The congresswoman has an interest in agriculture and given that the University of Florida does a lot of work in that area," Angle said. "She came here to learn more about what we’re doing, so she helps at her level to try to support those programs."

Cammack, who represents Alachua, Bradford and Clay counties, as well as her predecessor Ted Yoho have been supporters of the Global Food Security Act, which passed in 2016.

Adegosan said the group wanted the congresswoman to hear about how livestock products improve the nutrition of vulnerable people across the world, adding that children from food-insecure countries struggle with malnutrition that "condemns them to a lifetime of underachievement."

"Today's event was to highlight the importance of this and reconnect with her and put this front and center," he said. "This not only pays off for people abroad, but it's also vital for national security in terms of reducing migration, creating trading partners and beefing up their own ability to produce food and developing trade with those entities creating goodwill in those countries towards the U.S."

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Kat Cammack tours UF food sciences to address food insecurity