The Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Canada’s Minister of International Cooperation, announced the creation of a new Canadian International Food Security Research Fund on October 16.

This CA$62 million fund, a joint initiative between IDRC and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), will support research partnerships between Canadian and developing-country organizations. Research activities will focus on applied research to address food insecurity, and may include work on crop resilience, the nutritional value of crops, and infectious diseases related to crops and animal production.

"IDRC has long supported research on agriculture, and we are very pleased to continue this proud Canadian tradition jointly with CIDA," said IDRC President David Malone. "Our partnership will bring together the best minds in Canada and the developing regions of the world to find lasting, research-based solutions for world food security."

Oda made the announcement while visiting the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences.

Minister Oda also announced CIDA’s Food Security Strategy, which is designed to empower the poorest and most disadvantaged by reducing their vulnerability to various factors that affect their food security, including food shortages, market barriers, and constraints to agricultural productivity.