August 19, 2019 | Press Release

WASHINGTON, DC – Lawyers of Color has released its list of the nation’s top black lobbyists and influencers to coincide with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference. The honorees will be featured in the third edition of Lawyers of Color’s Caucus Issue. A digital version of the publication will be available on Lawyers of Color’s website in September.

Lawyers of Color’s selection committee, comprised of its fellows, advisers, and editorial staff, chose distinguished influencers who may not fit the traditional definition of a lobbyist but are on the front lines of consequential national political and policy battles.

Lawyers of Color is a 501(c)(3) devoted to promoting diversity in the legal profession and advancing democracy and equality in marginalized communities. We celebrate attorneys of color and conduct research and studies regarding the intersection of the legal profession and social justice.

Read the full press release here.

See the list of 2019 honorees here.

While Democrats and Republicans can’t seem to agree on much these days, there is one issue bringing politicians together and making headlines: problems in accessing quality health care in rural America. Presidential candidates are discussing their proposals in Iowa, the secretary of Health and Human Services is highlighting it as a top priority, and Democrats and Republicans in Congress are coming together on bipartisan legislation, including Iowa’s own Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

This is all good news and long overdue. Rural residents often travel long distances to get to a hospital or health clinic, and many small hospitals are closing at alarming rates. Since 2010, more than 100 rural hospitals have closed throughout the United States, and an additional 647 are at risk of folding, including 17 in Iowa. Rural areas are also experiencing shortages in physicians and specialists.

Read more here.

The U.S. Senate Youth Alumni Association recently awarded Senator Daschle their highest honor, the Rosalie Wynn Hearst Distinguished Public Service Award. This award goes to an individual who has made a positive, substantive impact on public discourse in the United States.

We know that Senator Daschle is humbled to be chosen as this year’s honoree, and the rest of us at TDG are so proud of him and his lifetime of accomplishments. You can read more about this prestigious award here.

“The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word 'crisis.' One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger – but recognize the opportunity.” — John F. Kennedy

President Kennedy could have been referring to rural America when he said this.

And there is no crisis more urgent in rural America than health care.

The facts are startling:

While rural America constitutes over 20 percent of the population, only 10 percent of doctors practice there.

Nearly 100 rural hospitals have closed since 2010, and 600 more are projected to close over the next decade.

Rural communities have far higher numbers of older and lower-income Americans with the fastest growing segment of the population those over 85.

The most remarkable part of the crisis is one of our own making. Even though the U.S. spends $10,700 per person on health care, compared to around $4,200 in the United Kingdom, Americans rank last in access to and quality of care while the U.K. ranks first.

Read more here.

"The lobbying world faces new pressures and is under greater scrutiny than ever. But the select few on the list have demonstrated their ability to wield influence and deliver results on Capitol Hill and in the administration on behalf of clients and groups seeking a voice in Washington."

Tom and Nathan Daschle, along with the entire Daschle Group team, are proud to be recognized as one of DC's "hired guns."

Click here for the entire 2018 Top Lobbyists List.

President Trump acted quickly to facilitate the exit of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, our former colleague, less than 24 hours after the midterm elections. The appointment as acting attorney general of a longtime critic of Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election has also raised concerns. Capitol Hill is rightfully sending warning signals — from both sides of the aisle — against any attempt to derail the Mueller probe. But beyond strong words, there are actions Congress can take, including oversight and legislation, to ensure the investigation results in a public report. We know from our own experience how important such actions, and such transparency, will be.

Congress made the Starr report public. It shouldn’t hide Mueller’s. - The Washington Post

Read more here.

Envelopes recently addressed to the president and sent to the Pentagon, thought to contain ricin, remind us of the deadly potential of biological threats. I received a similar letter, containing anthrax, 17 years ago. Despite some progress, significant gaps obviously still remain in our nation's ability to defend against biological attacks and such naturally occurring diseases as Ebola.

America was still recovering from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks when white-powder letters arrived at the U.S. Capitol and media companies in Florida and New York, killing five and infecting 17 others. It was a frightening and uncertain time.

Read more here.

In an interview with Health Evolution, Senator Tom Daschle, Founder & CEO, The Daschle Group; formerly US Senate Majority Leader, discusses what’s happening in Washington, avoiding clinging to the status quo, vertical & horizontal consolidation and how to transform our pyramid.

View the interview here.

Practically every community in America, and most families, are facing the still-growing opioid epidemic that is tearing at the soul of our health and wellbeing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 115 Americans die each day from opioid-related overdoses, and research suggests that misuse of prescription opioids is a risk factor for heroinuse. It is thus critical that we find policy solutions that both turn the tide on opioid misuse and addiction now and make it less likely that we repeat in the long-term the same mistakes that led to the crisis.

To do so successfully, we must first fully understand the many fundamental drivers of this crisis; there is no single root cause of the epidemic, and multiple segments of society bear some responsibility.

Read more here.

Recent headlines have been filled with stories and images of parents being separated from their children by the U.S. government. This is not what our country represents.

In fact, 15 years ago, we enacted the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, to do quite the opposite, and the program has gone on to save the lives of millions, keep families intact, and provide support for millions of orphans, vulnerable children and their caregivers. It represents the best of America, and we can be proud of the global legacy it has created.

PEPFAR is the single largest commitment any one country has ever made to combat a disease. It has reduced mortality in some of the most vulnerable communities in Africa and elsewhere and contributed to our security at home by making a difference overseas. PEPFAR turned the tide on a global HIV/AIDS epidemic and assisted with building global partnerships and reducing national security threats. It’s been a win-win.

Read more here.

When the Soviet Union’s Sputnik satellite entered the earth’s orbit in 1957, a race of historic urgency began. Would America lose the space race to its archrival? Our national response was decisive and strategic. It centered on the creation of NASA, which has guided decades of scientific discovery, not to mention multiple moon landings.

We find ourselves at a moment of equal urgency today, even if we haven’t had a galvanizing Sputnik moment. Today’s challenge is artificial intelligence, which will disrupt society unlike any innovation since electricity. How do we prepare our citizens for this new world? This article recommends several areas for policymaker attention, including education and learning, support for gig economy workers and ideas for paying for these programs.

Read more here.

Our health-care system can be overwhelming for those of us in the best of health. This is especially true of those living with serious and life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer or heart disease — who are juggling multiple doctors, diagnoses, treatment regimens and social stressors. Patients cycle in and out of hospitals and nursing facilities, yet 80 percent say they would rather be at home as they approach the end-of-life.

Compared to other nations, U.S. health care providers rely more heavily on medical services and procedures than providing less costly services that can help patients remain more independent and at home, but that is beginning to change.

States like Tennessee are beginning to recognize the importance of improving care for patients with advanced illness. Last month the Tennessee general assembly passed a law establishing the Palliative Care and Quality of Life Advisory Council, a recommendation of a state-level task force earlier this year.

Read more here.

As artificial intelligence is touching almost every part of our lives, delivering us smart voice systems, driverless cars and customer service bots for banking and health care, it is time for government to learn about and act on the promise of AI and its potential perils. Yet despite the promises and dangers of AI, the U.S. government is behind the curve. “We are “flying blind in our conversations and decision-making related to AI,” according to researchers from Stanford, MIT and elsewhere.

AI is too important to ignore, too complex for simple policy solutions and too interrelated to address in siloes. It’s time for a national conversation. And no one is better positioned to start it than Congress, through the creation of a bipartisan National Commission on AI.

Read more here.

Modern Healthcare published an interview with Senator Daschle and former HHS Secretary and Utah Governor Mike Leavitt. The two spoke about what it would take for public-private partnerships to continue to drive innovation in health care. You can read the full interview here.

It is not news that excessive partisanship has led to gridlock in Washington. Many of the chronic problems we face, from immigration policy to soaring budget deficits to the solvency of Social Security and Medicare, repeatedly get kicked down the road as one or both parties reject bipartisan solutions.

Less noticed is how corrosive this stalemate is to national security policy and foreign affairs. Once, partisan politics "stopped at the water's edge." No more. Now defense and foreign policy challenges – even those that are highly technical – are among the issues most exploited for partisan gain.

Read more here.

In just our third year of existence, The Daschle Group, A Public Policy Advisory of Baker Donelson, was chosen as one of D.C.’s top lobbying firms. This is of course a reflection of the great work of our entire magnificent team, as well as the wonderful clients with whom we have the privilege to work. We are excited about this honor and appreciate the chance to share it with you.

Read more here.

In our system of government, the executive and legislative branches share responsibility for selecting the members of the third branch – the federal judiciary. This shared responsibility reflects the Founders’ desire to find a middle ground.

Our Founders didn’t want Congress to be able to grind the gears of government to a halt over political disagreements with the president. But, they also didn’t want the president’s powers to be absolute and unaccountable. Thus, Article II of the Constitution gives the president the job of nominating judges – but only with the “Advice and Consent” of the Senate.

Read more here.

As Congress reconvenes after its August recess, it is sobering to consider the amount of legislative work that lies ahead in the 43 days left in the first session of the 115th Congress. Before Oct. 1 and with only a dozen legislative days scheduled for the House of Representatives in September, members must address the national debt limit, fund the federal government and reauthorize critical health care programs, including the Children's Health Insurance Program and community health centers. And all of this in the midst of the immediate need to stabilize the individual insurance marketplace.

Given the record of this Congress for the first eight months, the extraordinary level of dysfunction and disarray is deeply troubling. Republicans have attempted to run both the legislative and executive branch of government completely alone. Over these months, the relationship between President Trump and members of his party in Congress has become increasingly tense, largely as a result of the president’s personal attacks on Republican congressional leaders.

Read more here.

Last week, the Trump administration released a budget that would cut billions in humanitarian assistance by the U.S., asserting that these cost-cutting measures are consistent with American interests. But this budget would reverse the course of decades of U.S. leadership helping the world’s most vulnerable people.

For more than 50 years, the U.S. has led the global fight against hunger and famine — not just because it’s the moral choice, but because it’s one of the smartest and most effective ways to invest in our collective future.

Though we represented different parties in the U.S. Senate, the issue of global hunger has always united us. This is not surprising given our Midwest roots. Growing up in South Dakota and Kansas, we both spent summers working on the farm, marveling at the process of putting food on America’s tables. Decades later, we discussed why food assistance is one of the best ways to invest hard-earned taxpayer dollars.

Read more here.

This week, Congress returns to Washington with a plethora of work with very little time. There are approximately 50 legislative days before the August recess and fewer than 100 before the end of the session.

As April comes to a close, five critical issues fall into one of three procedural categories – two must pass soon, one should pass shortly thereafter, and two could be resolved before the end of the year. But importantly, all will require bipartisan support.

“Must Pass”

Congress must pass an extension of the federal government’s funding for the remainder of fiscal year 2017 and an increase to the debt limit. The current continuing resolution (CR) expires on April 28th. The initial deadline for addressing the debt ceiling came and went over a month ago; however, using what is commonly referred to as “extraordinary measures,” the Administration and Congress may have until mid-summer before the financial crisis hits.

Read the entire column here.

Senator Daschle discussed the future of telemedicine with Politico this morning. To see the interview, click here.

Bombs, bullets and, most recently, bytes, tend to dominate our national security thinking. But bugs must also be added to that list. As Bill Gates recently warned the Munich Security Conference, a pandemic — whether caused by a terrorist or nature itself - is one of the three biggest threats we face. National security is health security.

A critical element of our preparedness for 21st century threats must be to develop and stockpile effective medical countermeasures, such as vaccines, antibiotics, and other antidotes. President Trump’s 2018 Budget Blueprint doesn’t comment on this, but it does create a new public health emergency response fund — a step in the right direction.

Read more here: http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/healthcare/325436-21st-century-health-threats-need-optimal-budgeting-health

Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) urged Republicans to fix problems with the Affordable Care Act instead of repealing it, and suggested steps to stabilize the individual marketplace, ensure continuous coverage and incentivize younger enrollees to enter the marketplace. Chris Jennings, a longtime health policy expert and adviser to former presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, also stressed a need to repair the law instead of repealing it. Daschle, speaking at a Families USA health policy conference on Friday (Feb. 17),...

Read more here: https://insidehealthpolicy.com/daily-news/daschle-lists-aca-problems-need-fixed-urges-repair-not-replacement

President Trump’s personal deportment with the United States’ closest friends and allies in merely the first ten days of his presidency is an unprecedented cause for alarm and deep concern.

With Secretary Tillerson’s confirmation vote now behind him, his initial “to do” list may be the longest for any Secretary of State in modern history. Given the grave circumstances in numerous locations around the world and the most recent diplomatic meltdown the president has created in Mexico and Australia, the Secretary clearly has an enormously full plate.

As he makes his first list, Secretary Tillerson should start with our best friends. Using that criterion he urgently needs to stop in Mexico and Australia on his way back from Asia before returning home. Some explanation and reassurance to the people and their elected leaders in these two countries is essential before permanent damage to our relationships is done.

Unfortunately, it may already be too late.

Read more here: http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/foreign-policy/317789-with-an-ally-like-donald-trump-who-needs-enemies

There has been much discussion about what an Affordable Care Act replacement plan will include, and how it will influence the shape and focus of our health care system. As our friends and colleagues in Congress begin collaboratively looking for the best health care solutions for the American people, they should consider a health care network that works — community health centers.

Health care is complicated, and insurance is even more so. Moving from one system to another carries both enormous political and human risk. There is not only hardship for those who fall between the cracks, but adverse long-term consequences for our nation’s health.

- See more at: http://www.rollcall.com/news/opinion/ensuring-ongoing-return-health-care-investment#sthash.VMPY0IoU.dpuf

At a town hall meeting last week, Jeff Jeans, a Republican small business owner who had worked on the campaigns of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, shared his personal story with Speaker Paul Ryan. Jeans had opposed the Affordable Care Act, now commonly called "Obamacare," until he was diagnosed with cancer and given six weeks to live.

Jeans said he learned he had throat cancer shortly after he lost his health benefits when the company he worked for went bankrupt. He told the speaker, "I rely on the Affordable Care Act to be able to purchase my own insurance." When the speaker began to reply, Jeans interrupted him and added, "I want to thank President Obama from the bottom of my heart, because I'd be dead if it weren't for him."

As we look back on President Barack Obama's health care legacy, three intriguing aspects of this dialogue stand out.

First, eight years later, Obamacare is still headline news. Many important issues were discussed during the town hall meeting, but Jeans's compelling story was the one that received the greatest attention.

Read more here.

Imagine the nightmare:

“Nine weeks ago, terrorists unleashed insidious biological attacks on our Nation’s Capitol during our Independence Day celebrations. The infectious agent they used ultimately led to the deaths of 6,053 Americans. Many of our own colleagues and staff fell ill and died. Thousands more were killed in coordinated attacks in allied nations in the days that followed.

“The attack here in Washington, D.C. used aerosol delivery devices we could see, but did not know contained dangerous organisms. We discovered later that other attacks had already begun elsewhere in the Nation, using methods we have yet to identify that spread the disease among livestock in rural communities.

“Delays in recognition — because most veterinarians and physicians had never seen Nipah virus — meant animals and people were sick for more than a week before we realized what had happened. “And now we are being told that the virus, which in nature does not spread easily among people, was genetically modified to increase its ability to spread from animal to animal, animal to person, and person to person.

“Biological agents have now been used again to attack the United States, defying predictions and hopes that this would never happen. Obviously, those predictions were wrong.”

These are the first paragraphs of a hypothetical scenario the members of the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense, on which I serve, released as part of our report in October of 2015.

Read More at:

(Originally posted in Morning Consult, link below)

It’s no secret that our health care system is undergoing transformational change. We are proving that the traditional mode of thinking — that lowering costs would adversely impact health — is simply wrong. Driven by policy and technology, our government, the private sector, and everyday citizens are upending an outdated, inefficient system that performs poorly and deprives millions of Americans access to the care they need, yet costs more than that of other developed nations. Amid all the gridlock in Washington, there’s one thing everyone can agree on: We need new ways of delivering health care that are high performance, high value and provide quality care for all.

Despite recent advances driven by big data, predictive analytics, new payment models, wellness approaches and coordinated care, we face many challenges in moving the system toward a new standard of value, and countless aspects of it need improvement. So how and where can we begin to find solutions that improve care while keeping costs in line? Start small to make actionable changes. Look for practical solutions and innovative ideas. Start from within communities, within individual health systems and delivery networks and within hospitals themselves.

Take the Veteran’s Health Administration, the largest health system in the nation, which has struggled for years to find efficient and effective ways to provide quality care to nearly 10 million veterans. The VA is a good example of a complex system that faces many challenges when trying to implement change to better serve their patients. Success was achieved by starting small, by harnessing simple technology to get patients in to see a doctor faster and shorten wait times.

Sometimes the best solutions can also be very practical. For instance, in an effort to improve operating room efficiencies and reduce supply costs, some hospitals employed a simple tactic: label OR supplies with price information. Research shows that when OR staff are reminded of supply costs, they are more cost-conscious and, for example, are less likely to open supplies that may go unused. With non-labor costs making up 40 to 60 percent of total OR costs, reducing supply waste can boost a health system’s bottom line, allowing for more money to be put into patient care.

Read more here: https://morningconsult.com/opinions/thinking-outside-box-health-care-cost-savings/

As we head into a new year and another election cycle, all evidence points toward a disheartening replay of years past. We will see a rearranging of the players, perhaps, but the continuing landscape in Washington is unmistakable. Though Congress recently passed a budget agreement and a highway bill, it seems mainly to have spent the past year spinning its wheels. Our great deliberative bodies continue to be embroiled in an unnecessary standoff with themselves and a poisonous relationship with the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. More money than ever is flooding the system. On deck is a batch of candidates merely demonizing the other side in hopes of rallying support by scratching at the basest itches of the electorate. We have never been more divided.

The deterioration has brought our country’s government to such a crisis point that we have decided to join voices to sound an alarm. The United States was launched in grand revolutionary spirit as an experiment, and after 240 years, the experiment continues. Democracy doesn’t work in a vacuum: The system is only as good as its citizenry and the representatives it sends to work its daily machinations in city, state and national governing bodies. In the sense that our system begins with the single voter, it remains revolutionary. Butturnout in the 2014 midterms was dismal and, worse, those who did turn out don’t represent a wide and diverse sampling of Americans. Those at the far extremes are continuing to control what’s happening in the center, and our leaders have done little to bridge the gap.

We have a combined 59 years in elected office. We don’t see eye to eye on a range of issues, and, indeed, we understand the particulars of our present moment differently. Nonetheless, our efforts to find common ground while in office were inspired and informed by a set of principles that are inseparable from American democracy. As we look out on today’s contentious political landscape, calling on these principles can help to define our challenge and chart our path.

We offer the following criteria for what we should all expect from our candidates, governments and, ultimately, ourselves, as the 2016 election nears.

● Compromise: Make no mistake — our political system was built by men in vigorous conflict with one another, but there’s a spark that comes from opposing ideas sharing the same space. It’s the purpose of the two chambers of Congress and the party system. We shouldn’t expect some kind of mass delirium to infect Democrats and Republicans that makes them all agree; we wouldn’t want that. Our strength comes from the disagreement, but we need to harness it properly and use it for something beyond the destruction of the other side. Reaching for compromise is no less than the duty of our elected representatives.

Our current officeholders are embracing the conflict and ignoring its purpose. Representative democracy is not winner-take-all. The Constitution was designed as a harmonizing system, balancing the competing interests of all the people toward something that serves everyone. We need to insist that our representatives move beyond the ideological purity that reads compromise as betrayal.

● Chemistry: Government comes down to people interacting. As Senate leaders, we each had a phone on our desk that directly patched us to each other. It created a chemistry that begins at the top and trickles down. But our representatives in Washington no longer know one another as people. Few members of Congress even live in Washington anymore. They no longer share meals or glasses of wine in the Senate dining room, their spouses never meet, their children don’t play together. Between commuting to their home states and the Sisyphean task of raising money, often there simply isn’t time. If our representatives knew one another personally, they might think twice before painting one another with a wide and ugly brush. We need to look for candidates who understand the necessity of getting to know the other side.

● Leadership: Leadership is the ability to sense where the best angels of the public want to go and helping them get there. It’s about governing — not necessarily winning — and finding common ground that leads to action. Our leaders have stalled on the major issues of our time: immigration, cybersecurity, energy policy, tax reform. Leadership takes genuine courage, courage to act on the recognition that the choice between right and left is a false one when it comes to getting things done. We must demand of our leaders that they actually lead.

● Vision: Nothing is more upsetting than seeing political leaders refuse to even attempt to inspire the country as a whole. We have seen more than enough strategy on how to beat the other side, to flip blue states to red or vice versa, or to win over some demographic slice. What we haven’t seen is a vision of where we can all go together, inclusively, as a nation. Whether that ultimate vision is something we entirely agree with — and the likelihood that we’d be in lockstep with one another is low — we still want leaders who communicate something beyond their own or their party’s aspirations. We need to expect them to offer this vision, and for it to be wide enough to embrace us all.

We have enormous faith in the judgment of the American people, but it has become impossible to even know what that is anymore. Our political process is rewarding the extremes, and the political leadership reflects the view of that minority. It has become a race to the edges and a downward spiral. Citizens are too turned off to vote, which only empowers those who demand no compromise — leading to more discontent and less inclination to vote.

Democracy requires active engagement, mindfulness and tolerance. We can’t expect our leaders to do their part if we don’t do ours. We must retake control of our duty as Americans. The only way to turn the spiral around is for the individual American to make a commitment to vote in the coming year. If these resolutions for the New Year are to take root, there is only one way: It is in our hands.

The world is facing a food security challenge of unprecedented scale in the twenty-first century. The numbers are familiar, and they are stark: according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), food production must increase by at least 60 percent in the next 35 years to feed Earth’s growing and hungry population. And food production must meet that rising demand while contending with other crises like climate change, migration, conflict, and disease, which will all affect our ability to grow more food.

More importantly, food production must meet that demand sustainably and equitably, with respect for the environment and the smallholder farmers that make up the backbone of global agriculture. This is no easy task.

Like many of the greatest challenges facing world leaders today, achieving food security — defined as when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to stay healthy and active — over the long term requires tight coordination and progress across all sectors. Governments, NGOs, international organizations, and corporations all have a role to play. But who will lead? And where can we focus our resources to make the greatest impact?

Reflecting on our long and shared experience tackling these issues in government, informed by the storied history of farming in our home states and across America, and fueled by the powerful data and evidence on global agriculture markets and innovation, we believe the private sector can provide the greatest improvements in food security. Governments, NGOs, and international organizations must thus not only cultivate values-based leadership in the business community but also empower those leaders in both business and politics who recognize the private sector’s unique potential to meet one of the most pressing challenges of this century.

According to the FAO, global trade in agriculture exceeds $1 trillion each year, or more than 200 times the annual operating budget of the World Food Programme, the world’s largest food aid organization. To put that in perspective, a 1 percent per year gain in the efficiency of global agriculture markets would alone free up enough money to cover all global food aid costs many times over.

The private sector, then, is poised to be the engine for driving sustainability in agriculture and natural resource use over the next 30 years. How? By reinvesting capital in sustainable supply chains, developing nutrient-rich and high-yield crops, creating innovative financial products that increase smallholder farmer access to financing, and developing country-level cooperatives.

To take just one example, efficiency gains in crop development hold enormous potential. As data-driven philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates outlined in the 2015 annual foundation letter, “American farmers get five times as much maize from their land as African farmers do.” Investment to enhance the efficiency and resilience of Africa’s agriculture sector is a no-brainer — a down payment on the future food security of a continent that, despite its incredible resource potential, continues to spend $50 billion each year to import food.

The history of cooperatives and the agriculture industry offer another example, and one where the history of the U.S. can point the way for the future. Both the U.S. and developing countries show us how investment in disaggregated agricultural markets not only pays dividends to shareholders but also increases sustainability over the long term. The growth of cooperatives was one of the most significant factors in U.S. agriculture’s rapid rise over the past century, combined with government investment in infrastructure like roads and rail, and investment in market-pricing frameworks like the commodities trade.

Cooperatives help farmers get access to the financing they need for growth. The private sector has a significant role to play in bringing small farmers together. Because of cooperatives, today’s agribusinesses can increase crop yields while bolstering food quality and the stability of international trade. The Minnesota-based dairy company Land O’Lakes, for example, has been organizing and strengthening cooperatives in developing countries and increasing farmers’ access to improved seed and animals while also providing education in effective production and economic management.

Harnessing market forces will be necessary to double world food production by 2050. But we must do more than master markets to achieve growth the way it should be done. That will require a dedication to socially and environmentally sustainable investment principles. And it will require corporate leadership that puts a high value on the nutritional quality of food, a sustainable food supply, sensibly using water, and working to ensure climate security.

Using the power of its supply chains to affect change, the Coca-Cola Company is setting a notable example through its sustainable sourcing strategies, empowerment of women and smallholder farmers, and protections of local land rights. By the end of the decade, the company will have spent $17 billion in Africa developing new manufacturing lines, installing cooling and distribution equipment, and implementing safe water initiatives like sustainable sourcing, and supporting women’s economic empowerment and community well-being.

The quality and not just quantity of food — its nutritional value — is inextricably linked to global food security. On a planet where one in nine people is undernourished and more than 1.4 billion people are overweight or obese, the private sector must prioritize “sustainable calories” and recognize that the return on investment in nutritious food will deliver greater value over time. DuPont’s Nutrition and Health division collaborates with the public and private sectors to develop science-based food ingredient and food protection solutions that improve the health profile, quality, and safety of food. The Global Food Security Index, a unique and progressive collaboration between DuPont and the Economist Intelligence Unit, is an important step in bringing nutrition food security planning to the forefront. The index measures food security across 109 countries based on 28 indicators including diet diversification, protein quality, nutrition standards, food waste and obesity. Each of these indicators is critical to addressing the global challenge of malnutrition.

Climate change is also an inextricable part of food security, and here the reinsurance industry has been taking the lead in addressing risks from extreme weather such as floods and droughts. Swiss Re has created new insurance products that protect companies’ weather-related earnings and prevent losses from weather and commodity price shocks. The company has also developed new types of crop-shortfall insurance, weather-based index coverage, and structure price hedges for businesses concerned about low production caused by unpredictable weather.

With all of this potential, what models of private leadership should be promoted as setting the gold standard? How should corporations engage with governments and NGOs working on food security issues? In the future, categorizing this type of work under the umbrella term “public-private partnerships” will be insufficient as a guide for change. We believe that clearer conceptions for what enlightened private sector approaches look like must be discussed and established.

Food security conversations today need to build from an understanding of initiatives like the ones now happening on the ground. There is broad agreement on the need for sustainable intensification of agriculture in order to increase both yields and nutritional quality of crops; and to consolidate and empower smallholder farmers, particularly women farmers, to increase their economic power and improve their access to the global food trade. How this will happen — and what kinds of private sector investments will be needed to make it happen — is the great puzzle of our day. Our job is to help fit together the puzzle pieces of private sector leadership to ensure the globe’s long-term food security.

Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle is the co-chair of the Aspen Food Security Strategy Group with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman, and the philanthropist Tony Elumelu.