Global markets are unsustainable---America’s key.

Mr. Negroponte noted the United States plays a critical role in global agriculture as the world’s largest producer of beef, soybeans, corn and poultry and a top exporter of a diverse group of foods such as almonds, apples, raisins, sorghum, pork and wheat. He also said the United States may need to be able to secure the safety and availability of food supplies of important allies such as Japan.

Mr. Negroponte said rising competition among countries and regions for finite resources such as water and arable land could hurt political stability and force U.S. military priorities to shift. He pointed to Syria and Iraq as currently being vulnerable to water scarcity because rivers, canals and dams are military targets.

“Over time, these and other resource constraints along with pressure from climate change could slow down increases in productivity,” Mr. Negroponte said. In the decades ahead, “water could become to global strategy what petroleum is today, since declining food security could contribute to large-scale political instability and conflict.”

As for biodefense, Mr. Negroponte said a successful attack by parties intent on hurting the United States may result in economic damage or threats to food safety and public health. He recommended stronger surveillance, monitoring and tracking as well as creating nationwide laboratory networks to ensure the safety of food and water.

Mr. Negroponte emphasized that, in order to feed a growing middle class, especially in developing nations, and a world population of about 9 billion by 2050, greater productivity in food production was essential.