Food security featured as a high priority on the agenda of the recent G8 summit at Camp David.  The members discussed progress made on the pledges from the L’Aquila summit and declared support for a New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition. The New Alliance plans to advance agricultural technology innovation.

The G8 endorsed an accountability report that highlighted the role of Agricultural Research for Development and the need for improving the transparency and measurement of agricultural research investments:

Comprehensive assessments of agricultural science and technology investments by developing countries are critical to ensure donor investments complement existing systems and support the national food security priorities of developing countries. This can be accomplished most effectively through strengthening support to the Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) initiative and supporting efforts by the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) to foster dialogue with agricultural research partners at the Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD). (pg 16)