FAO and Texas A&M University System: A Journey in Partnership

Patrick Stover, Ph.D. is the focal point for the TAMUS partnership with FAO. Joined by a IHA/TAMUS delegation, Dr. Stover recently undertook a mission to the FAO Liaison Office in Geneva, the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture in Vienna and FAO headquarters in Rome.

The mission allowed TAMUS and FAO to reflect on the many successes of the partnership since 2014 and exchange information on new programmes and initiatives to strengthen their common vision for sustainable agri-food systems that improve human, environmental, and economic health.

FAO speaks with Dr. Stover:

- Dr. Stover, what makes the FAO-TAMUS partnership such a strategic and meaningful collaboration?

The partnership has been successful due to the shared missions and goals of the TAMUS land-grant university and the FAO, identifying early on strategic activities under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) workplan and having focal points on both sides of the partnership regularly communicate. The support from FAO leadership, the partnerships division and FAO's technical experts as well as the dedication of TAMUS' scientists and faculty collaborating on country, regional, and global levels has enabled a truly dynamic and flourishing partnership. 

The breadth and depth of TAMUS' research and education capacity and strong tradition of service at the community level enables a broad MoU workplan to support priority country, regional and global FAO programmes in a mutually beneficial and impactful manner. Internships have also played a key part of the partnership with more than 22 TAMUS' Agricultural and Natural Resources Policy Internship program students placed in FAO to further capacity development and build expertise both for the interns and FAO. In 2019, TAMUS produced a video on the internship experiences in FAO: TAMU-FAO Agricultural Internship video - YouTube

 - Would you elaborate on the partnership's contribution to and impacts on the One Health approach?

Since 2014, the partnership has collaborated on many activities to support One Health (OH). Some examples include: extensive capacity building trainings in the laboratory and at country-level field epidemiology training for zoonotic disease surveillance preparedness and response in Africa; aflatoxin proficiency testing programs, and feed safety and laboratory quality systems training; OH training of natural resources management and environment sector professionals in Asia and the Pacific; a workshop that focused on pathways for nutrition and food security-sensitive multiple-use water services for small-scale farmers; participation in the Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture, creating livestock drought early warning systems in Eastern Africa for small holder farmers and sponsoring a workshop on Rift Valley fever titled "Current State of Rift Valley Fever Vaccine and Companion Diagnostics Development." In 2020, FAO published the One Health Building resiliency to strengthen food and nutrition security brief which informs on the FAO-TAMUS partnership's achievements.

- The SDGs provide the blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, but significant challenges, including the impact of COVID-19, are hindering progress. Do you think that the FAO-TAMUS partnership can help make the SDGs a reality? What new opportunities lie ahead?

The impact of COVID-19 certainly highlighted the need for true One Health collaborations, an increased understanding of requirements for a resilient, flexible and readily adaptable food system and supply chains, as well as exacerbated global food security and malnutrition disparities. Our recent TAMUS IHA and the Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Evidence Center (AFNEC) delegation visits to the Liaison Office in Geneva, the FAO/IAEA Joint Center in Vienna and FAO Headquarters elucidated several new opportunities and novel directions for collaboration in human nutrition, food safety, and a systematic approach to synthesizing scientific evidence for decision makers. Historically, agriculture and food systems were designed to produce food, fiber and fuel in abundance to ensure agricultural products were plentiful, affordable and accessible. Presently, agriculture and food systems have additional expectations with respect to supporting human health and lowering health care costs, protecting the environment, and ensuring economic profitability across the agriculture-value chain. As a new MoU workplan is developed in 2024, the IHA and AFNEC look forward to working with FAO counterparts to continue exploring new areas of work which will make progress toward achieving the SDGs and using a systems approach for agriculture as the solution at the human health, agriculture, and environment nexus.

- Thank you, Dr. Stover. To conclude, what do you as see the future of the FAO-TAMUS partnership? Is there anything else you would like to add?

The welcoming reception and robust discussions on our recent delegation visit demonstrated that our partnership continues to have real value for both FAO and TAMUS in achieving each of our shared missions, while also discovering key opportunities for synergies between our teams. We look forward to continuing the collaboration discussions as we look to add IHA and AFNEC activities to the MoU workplan and furthering this mutually successful partnership.

About Patrick Stover, Ph.D.

Patrick Stover, Ph.D., Director of the Texas A&M Institute Advancing Health Through Agriculture (IHA), is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is former president of the American Society for Nutrition and served two terms on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine's Food and Nutrition board. He received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from President Clinton.