Getting to know Beth Bechdol

We asked Beth Bechdol a few questions to learn more about her career path as she embarks on a new journey from the president and CEO of AgriNovus based in Indiana to Rome to serve as the FAO Deputy Director-General of Operations.

1. Congratulations on being appointed to one of the most important jobs in FAO. How does it feel to join the United Nations to lead international efforts to defeat hunger, and improve nutrition and food security for all?

I am incredibly excited by this new opportunity and to now be a part of a global FAO family made up of so many talented and committed individuals.  I’ll admit that all of this is also a bit overwhelming at the same time.  This is a huge task that we are working on together and alongside so many other partners from around the world.  I take our shared mission very seriously and am confident we can do more together to achieve Zero Hunger.

2. Tell us about your career path. Was working in food and agriculture always your plan?

Actually, not at all!  I grew up on our family’s corn and soybean farm in rural Indiana but always aspired to have a different path and to be in a much larger city. I realized, though, while I was studying at international relations at Georgetown that global and agricultural issues were intimately connected. That took me to Purdue University for graduate work and then back to Washington, DC to start a career in policy consulting and roles on the US Senate Agriculture Committee and at the US Department of Agriculture. 

My family and I returned home to Indiana in 2005 to help care for my mother. Little did I know then that entrepreneurial opportunities would find me, and I’d be a part of conceptualizing, building and growing AgriNovus Indiana (an economic development non-profit organization). Our partners from government, industry, farm organizations, higher education and philanthropy have supported our work to advance agbioscience innovation and talent in our state.

3. You grew up on a family farm in Indiana in the US Midwest. Does your family still farm, and how has farming changed since you grew up? What role do you see for Science & Technology and Innovation in modern day agriculture? 

My daughter is the seventh generation of our family farm, and today my sister and brother-in-law operate the business. Together, they have academic degrees from Georgetown University, Purdue University, Kansas State University and the University of Chicago. (They are both incredibly smart!) As I watched our father grow our farm on his own, I always sensed that technology and innovation was a priority to him. Today, watching my sister lead the business, she not only carefully evaluates technology investments through a business lens, but also thinks about the impact on the soil health of our fields and the protection of our nearby water resources. I believe that today – more than ever – farmers see themselves as a part of finding solutions to our bigger challenges like protecting our natural resources.

4. You have spent time in Germany and Russia, and worked in the private and public sector. What are some of the most important lessons you learned that you hope to apply in your work at FAO?

Through all of my different experiences, I have found that I have a somewhat unique ability to not only create a vision or a direction for an organization to go, but also to jump into the tactical details of the work with my colleagues. I will help shape the bold ideas but also help execute them.

I also think that connecting people to one another is critical – especially people who don’t realize they should be connected. I like putting unexpected people and groups together with different backgrounds, experience and ideas because inevitably a new (and unexpected) idea or opportunity will surface.

5. What are some of the biggest opportunities and challenges you see to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 2 to End Hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture within this decade?

Without a doubt, I believe that food and agricultural innovation will drive our efforts to achieve Zero Hunger.  As I think about innovation today, though, it is not just one technology or product.  Innovation is a suite of opportunities to select from and intentionally transfer to those parts of the world challenged by drought, economic insecurity, conflict and other conditions.   In Indiana, our partners were advancing food system innovation that included sensors, artificial intelligence, robotics, biostimulants, animal probiotic solutions and enzyme technologies, gene editing, irrigation systems, indoor vertical farming, blockchain, autonomous farming systems, and so much more.  As FAO puts a new Office of Innovation in place this year, I hope that we too will embrace this bigger and more diverse perspective on innovation tools and their adaptability.

6. What role do you see for youth engagement and storytelling in the future of global food and agriculture?

A next generation of young people all across the world need to understand not only the importance of our shared food system, but more importantly, how they can build and grow their lives within in.  We must encourage this next generation to take their passion and skills in the sciences, in tech (robotics, coding, data), in business and other fields to pursue careers in food and agriculture.  For many of these young people, they have a deep desire to be a part of something that matters to them – that will make a difference – that will have an impact.  It is one of our jobs, I believe, to bring awareness and opportunities to them in the global food system.

7. Tell us something about Beth, the person?

I’ll leave you with a couple of things about me.

I hope you’ll get to meet the rest of what we call “Team Bechdol”.  My husband, Matt, will be moving to Rome as well – he works in agricultural and geospatial technologies – and so is personally involved in innovation.  Our daughter, Grace, is a freshman at New York University’s campus in Abu Dhabi – she is studying Arabic and Political Science.

I love red wine and pasta so will be looking for best recommendations in Rome!

I love music from the 1990s (maybe my “coming of age” era) – you’ll often find me listening to and singing (loudly) along with the Backstreet Boys.  (Maybe I shouldn’t confess to that one! 😊)

Thank you, and all the best wishes!