The University of Illinois has the right combination of world-renowned strengths in agricultural research and computational science to lead this enterprise. Along with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications and the Mid-West Big Data Hub, we have existing research programs in computational genetics and crop science, atmospheric modeling and climate change, domestic hunger, the economics of developing agricultural production, markets, agricultural risk and insurance, and big data science. Under the umbrella of International Food Security at Illinois (IFSI) and in collaboration with fellow institutions and industry, this initiative has the potential to bring new big tools to this crucial challenge of how to feed to ensure access to nutritious food for all people.
