How’s the Obama Administration Doing on Agricultural Development and Food Security So Far?

That’s the question the Chicago Council on Global Affairs is asking and they are inviting you to weigh in by answering a brief survey here. As I went through the survey, I found myself filling in the “neutral” circle a lot and wishing there was an option for “too soon to tell.” On the good news front, Julie Howard, widely respected around town for making the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa the go-to place on these issues, was just appointed Deputy Coordinator for Development for the Feed the Future initiative. Although the process of filling top jobs at USAID, especially those requiring confirmation, has been far slower than most of us would wish, at least the quality is stellar, including, of course, our own former colleagues Steve Radelet and Ruth Levine at USAID and Sheila Herrling at MCC.