NSF Convergence Accelerator: Sustainable Systems Enabling Food Security in Extreme Environments and Food Deserts employing a Convergence of Food, Energy, Water and Systems

面对不断变化的气候和持续的人口增长，对水、食物和能源的需求不断增加，使这些重要资源日益稀缺。食物沙漠是指获得营养和负担得起的食物的机会有限的地区。美国农业部在2010年报告说，美国有2350万人生活在粮食沙漠中。联合国可持续发展目标（SDG）#2零饥饿是“消除饥饿，实现粮食安全，改善营养和促进可持续农业”。研讨会将汇集不同的实体和团体，以确定准备加速的战略和交付成果，以维持粮食供应链，应对快速变化的环境压力，如有限的水和能源。本次研讨会旨在推进一个技术框架，通过汇集来自公共和私营机构的从业人员，包括少数群体服务高等教育机构，工业和学术研究组织以及其他利益攸关方，加速在这一具有国家重要性的领域进行使用启发的融合研究。研讨会的主要重点是采用生态系统方法重新构想我们的科学和技术研究方法，以实现可持续的粮食供应，并寻求确定一条通往可持续系统的道路，从而实现极端环境和粮食沙漠中的粮食安全。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The increasing demand for water, food, and energy resources in the face of a changing climate and continued population growth make these vital resources increasingly scarce. Food deserts are areas with limited access to nutritious and affordable food. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported in 2010 that 23.5 million people in the U.S. live in food deserts. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #2 Zero Hunger is to “end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”. The workshop will bring together diverse entities and groups to identify strategies and deliverables that are ready for acceleration to maintain the food supply chain in response to rapidly changing environmental stressors such as limited water and energy. This workshop aims to advance a technical framework for the acceleration of use-inspired convergence research in this area of national importance by bringing together practitioners from public and private institutions including Minority Serving Institutions of higher education, industrial and academic research organizations, and other stakeholders. An ecosystem approach to re-envision our science and technology research approach to sustainable food supply is the main focus of the workshop and seeks to identify a path to sustainable systems that enable food security in extreme environments and food deserts.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.