International

Known as the "rice bowl" due to its lush and fertile growing areas, the Mekong Delta region in southwest Vietnam is a cornerstone of the country’s food security and economy. As part of a collaboration with The Mekong Delta Development Research Institute at Can Tho University, a team from the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) helped organize and facilitate training for new extension workers and students on how to measure and reduce postharvest losses to maximize product in the rice value chain. 

International exchange was a foundational experience for Ron and Melanie Warfield, and now, the couple hopes to help students follow in their footsteps. Through a $1 million gift to the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the couple has created the Ron and Melanie Warfield Global Scholars and Experiential Learning Innovation Fund.

Students, faculty, and other stakeholders from the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES) gathered in April to strengthen the college’s focus on interdisciplinary work towards global food security. 

Paul E. McNamara, a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, and Mia Bonds, an undergraduate student in ACE, are winners of 2026 International Achievement Awards from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Illinois International. These awards recognize outstanding alumni, faculty, and students whose exceptional work, service, and/or scholarship has made a significant, global impact. 

Paul E. McNamara

Hydrological models represent water movement in natural systems, and they are important for water resource planning and management. But the models depend on reliable input data for weather factors, and precipitation can be very difficult to measure and represent accurately.

A transatlantic collaboration, the U.S.-German Forum on the Future of Agriculture, led by Germany’s Aspen Institute together with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has entered its fourth year to focus on the health and wellbeing of the swine and po

In Bangladesh, programs targeting ultra-poor, rural households can help families escape extreme poverty.

Despite improvements in economic and social empowerment, women in many countries still have little control over their own fertility and reproductive health.

Fertility rates in much of Sub-Saharan Africa remain high, despite declining child mortality and improved access to contraceptives and female education — factors that generally lead to smaller families and improved economic conditions in developing countries.

International humanitarian aid organizations rely on analyses from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system, a global partnership that monitors and classifies the severity of food insecurity to help target assistance where and when it is most needed.