ASA CEO Steve Censky and Washington staff attended a meeting convened by the Chicago Council on Foreign Affairs to discuss strengthening agriculture’s role and participation in international agricultural development efforts to address world food security. The meeting came as the Global Food Security Act of 2014, which would focus development efforts under USAID, failed to be considered by the Senate before it adjourned for the year following passage in the House of Representatives. ASA and other organizations in attendance noted that the Act did not reflect the views of the Congressional Agriculture Committees or the U.S. agriculture community, and that any new initiative in 2015 should focus development efforts on enhancing the establishment of markets in developing countries, providing technical assistance, research and training through U.S. land grant institutions to higher education institutions in these countries and work to improve productivity of their smallholder farmers.  Also attending the meeting were representatives of the Farm Bureau, the National Corn Growers Association,the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, the Lugar Center, Citizens Network on Foreign Affairs, Cargill and Monsanto.  Participants decided to work on a concept paper that would be circulated to a broader group of interested value chain organizations, with a follow-up meeting in January.