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 security, why Paraguay keeps coming up, and what’s lost when long-term development work disappears.
This is a grounded, thoughtful conversation about prevention over reaction, systems over short-term fixes, and why food stability matters far more than most of us realize.
Making People Visible
This space exists to center voices from global development and public service.
Your support keeps Global Development Interrupted going and helps ensure these stories are told.
