Global Food and Water Security Program

Leading research, analysis, and policy recommendations to improve global food and water security.

Around the world, food insecurity and malnutrition contribute to social and political unrest, and thwart human and economic development. Russia’s war in Ukraine has disrupted global agricultural markets and worsened food insecurity among nations already dealing with the lingering shocks from Covid-19, ongoing effects of regional conflict, and increasing impacts of climate change. And while climate change is limiting access to freshwater, demand for freshwater is increasing across sectors—including agriculture, which accounts for the majority of global freshwater use and is the greatest nonpoint source of water pollution. Water security at the household level is likewise critical to food security and nutrition everywhere.

The CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program conducts independent research and analysis and provides policy recommendations to address dynamic threats to global food security and global water security, with a distinct focus on the relationship between global food and water security policy under the CSIS Project on Water Security. 

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Photo: Daniel Bosma/Getty Images

Photo: Daniel Bosma/Getty Images

CSIS Launches Project on Water Security

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) today announced the CSIS Project on Water Security, a major new effort designed to advance greater understanding of the critical role of water to U.S. national security.

Press Release — July 27, 2023

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Spinning 3D icons of mushrooms, veggie burgers, cows, tofu, protein molecules, bean sprouts, chickens, and pigs.

The Future Appetite for Alternative Proteins

As many countries seek more sustainable and resilient means of food production, alternative proteins may offer a solution.

Digital Report by Caitlin Welsh , Joseph Majkut , and Zane Swanson — May 4, 2023

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Findings and Reflections of the 2023 Global Philanthropy Tracker

Please join the CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program in welcoming representatives from the academic, philanthropic, non-profit, and public sectors for a conversation on the importance of cross-sectoral partnerships in addressing global development challenges. CSIS is pleased to be joined by representatives from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University to discuss their findings in the recently-launched 2023 Global Philanthropy Tracker.

Event by Caitlin Welsh , Amir Pasic , Una Osili , Reeta Roy , Kristin Lord , C.D. Glin , and Thomas Debass — November 3, 2023

Why Is Russia Blocking Ukraine's Food Exports?

Continuing to block Ukraine’s agricultural exports is in Russia’s economic and political interest, as it manipulates its own food exports to appease food-importing countries. And its exit from the deal has not contributed to a global food price shock—for now.

Critical Questions by Caitlin Welsh , Joseph Glauber , and Emma Dodd — September 15, 2023

2023’s Summer of Climate Shocks

What happened this summer? Were successive climate shocks merely an exclamation point to a deeper ongoing march? Or were they a thunderclap, signaling a pivot?

Event by Stephanie Segal , Joseph Majkut , J. Stephen Morrison , and Caitlin Welsh — September 11, 2023

The CommonHealth

Sera Young, Northwestern University: “Accountability is probably the most powerful tool that we have”

In this episode, Sera Young discusses the relationship between gender and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and explains why it’s important to gather data, not just about men’s and women’s access to water and sanitation infrastructure, but also about how individuals’ experience of water insecurity affects their physical and mental health.

Podcast Episode by Katherine E. Bliss and Sera Young — August 3, 2023

Photo: iLab/CSIS

Experts React: What Else Is Needed to Address Global Water Insecurity?

Water security is a multifaceted challenge, made more complicated by climate change and the demands of a growing and urbanizing global population. Here, CSIS experts react to the most urgent threats to water security and offer insight into what more can be done.

Commentary by Caitlin Welsh , Franck Gbaguidi , Tanvi Nagpal , Rod Schoonover , and Sera Young — July 26, 2023

The Truth of the Matter

Russia Inflicts Grain Pain

CSIS’s Caitlin Welsh joins the podcast to discuss Moscow’s pullout of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and its implications for the war in Ukraine and for the world.

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz and Caitlin Welsh — July 20, 2023

CSIS the truth of the matter