A lot of us eat three meals a day, but how often do we stop to think about how our food was grown? The apple I had as a snack this morning was grown in upstate New York on a family farm and then, through a transportation network more complicated than I can understand, it found its way into my local organic food store. It’s pretty incredible to consider all of the people that played a role in getting my apple off the tree and into my shopping cart!

March 18 is National Agriculture Day, a holiday that recognizes all of the positive ripple effects that food and nutrition security programs are having around the world. For example, it is neat to think about the ways that American farmers and agricultural experts are helping smallholder farmers around the world to build more independent, prosperous lives. Through knowledge shares, improved equipment, and soil technology, agriculture experts from the United States can share the lessons they’ve learned and support farmers in developing countries as they improve food security for their communities.

The video above highlights the United States Agency for International Development's Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program. F2F promotes sustainable economic growth, food security, and agricultural development worldwide by connecting farmers with each other. USAID programs like F2F have been really successful in helping increase access to food around the world.

Join me in celebrating National Agriculture Day by using the hashtag #no1hungry.

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Judith Rowland