Source: USDA, 7/1/15

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will lead a Presidential Delegation to the U.S. National Day celebration at the Milan Expo 2015 on July 4.

The Milan Expo, which runs through October 31, 2015 in Milan, Italy, is a six month world’s fair, with the theme of “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.” The USA Pavilion, with exhibits and programs focused on the theme of “American Food 2.0: United to Feed the Planet,” showcases American leadership on global food issues, including food security and policy, innovation and technology, nutrition and health, and culinary culture.

At the USA Pavilion on July 3, Vilsack will speak at an event titled “U.S. Sustainability: This is How We Grow.” The purpose of the event is to educate Expo attendees about U.S. climate-smart agriculture efforts. Vilsack will also highlight results from President Obama’s global food security initiative, Feed the Future, which is featured in the pavilion exhibits. USDA is a key member of the whole-of-government effort on Feed the Future and supports global food security through in-country capacity building, basic and applied research, and support for improved market information, statistics and analysis.

“Global food security is a priority for the United States and President Obama, and we have a positive story to tell the world in Milan,” Vilsack said.  “With the global focus on climate impacts on agriculture, our initiatives to develop more productive and sustainable ways to produce food on land and in the ocean are contributing to more resilient food systems able to feed a growing global population.”

As the head of the Presidential delegation, Vilsack will lead the celebration of U.S. participation in the Expo and tour the U.S. and Italian Pavilions.

In Milan, Vilsack will meet with Italy’s Agriculture Minister Maurizio Martina to discuss issues including the U.S.-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) negotiations.