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Global Development Interrupted Podcast

Global Development Interrupted Podcast

Food Security Is Global Security

Feb 26, 2026 · 37m

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About this episode

What does food security really have to do with global stability and everyday life? In this episode, I’m joined by Marian Ostertag, a former USAID Foreign Service Officer who spent her career working on agriculture and food security. Marian explains why effective development work focuses on long-term systems — food, markets, and institutions — so countries can withstand shocks without constant emergency aid. We talk about how food systems connect far beyond borders, why global supply chains are more fragile than we like to admit, and how agriculture quietly underpins everything from economic resilience to security. Along the way, Marian breaks down why pigs can be a matter of national…