McGill Conference on Global Food Security
October 5-7, 2009
Conference Co-chairs
- Heather Munroe-Blum, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, McGill University
- Marilyn Knox, President, Nestlé Nutrition Canada
Monday, October 5
Salle Prince Arthur, New Residence Hall, McGill University, 3625 Avenue du Parc
12h00 Registration opens
13h00 – 13h30 Opening Remarks and Conference Objectives
Speakers
- Chandra A. Madramootoo , Dean, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University
- Conference Co-Chairs
13h30 - 16h00 Food Security in a Challenging Economic Environment
Representatives of developing and emerging economy countries will speak on their specific country experiences and the impacts of the financial crisis on food supplies.
Co-Chairs
- Marilyn Scott, Director, McGill School of Environment and Associate Professor, Institute of Parasitology
- John Kennelly, Dean, Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Alberta
Speakers
- Abdul-Karim Adam, Senior Planning Officer, Nanumba North District, Ghana
- Harmel Cazeau, Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Ressources Naturelles et du Développement Rural, Haïti
- Dereje Biruk Gebremedhin , Team Leader, SWHISA Project, Ethiopia
- Victor Dukhovny, Interstate Coordination Water Commission of Central Asia
- M. Gopalakrishnan , Secretary General, International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage
- Daniel Uza, Vice-Chancellor, University of Agriculture Makurdi, Nigeria
- Dave Conley, The Aquaculture Communications Group, LLC
Open discussion and question period
Public Lecture - Panel Discussion
Monday, October 5, from 17h00 to 18h30
Salon Mont-Royal, Centre Mont-Royal, 2200 Mansfield Street
Global Food Security: Effects of the Global Recession and Future Prospects
Moderator
René Provost
Associate Professor, Faculty of Law and
Director, Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism, McGill University
Speakers
- Michel Barnier
Member of the European Parliament, Former Minister of Agriculture, France - Hon. Michael Chong
Member of Parliament for Wellington-Halton Hills - Hafez Ghanem
Assistant Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) - H.E. Professor Iyorwuese Hagher
Nigerian High Commissioner - David Malone
President, International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Tuesday, October 6
Salle Prince Arthur, New Residence Hall, McGill University, 3625 Avenue du Parc
08h30 – 10h15 Access to Finance and Agricultural Credit: Problems, Challenges and Opportunities
Finance and credit experts, as well as farmers’ organizations will present their perspectives on the effects of the global economic downturn on access and challenges with respect to agricultural credit
Co-Chairs
- Philip Oxhorn, Associate Professor and Founding Director, Institute for the Study of International Development
- Caroline Pestieau , Former Governor, ICRISAT
Speakers
- Aly Abou-Sabaa, Director, Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department, African Development Bank
- Jonathan Campaigne, Executive Director, PRIDE AFRICA
- François Dagenais, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
- Vincent Giard, Vice President, Quebec Operations, Farm Credit Canada
Open discussion and question period
10h15 - 10h30 Break
10h30 – 12h30 Investments Needed for Agricultural Development
Representatives from international agencies and developing countries will articulate the national investments required in to overcome food insecurity in the long term.
Co-Chairs
- Anwar Naseem, Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University
- Jean-Paul Laforest , Doyen - Dean, Faculté des sciences de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation, Université Laval
Speakers
- Marco Ferroni, Executive Director, Syngenta, Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture
- Mamaru Tsidku Belete , Head, Bureau of Water Resources Development, Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia
- Christopher Delgado, Strategy and Policy Adviser for Agriculture and Rural Development, World Bank
- Michael Hamp, Senior Technical Advisor, Rural Finance, International Fund for Agricultural Developmnent
- Mario Renaud, Executive Director, Centre for International Studies and Cooperation, and Co-President, International Agriculture Alliance
Open discussion and question period
12h30 – 13h30 Lunch
13h30 – 15h15 Research and Capacity Building: Where are the Priorities?
Representatives of national, regional, and international research organizations will discuss the research and development priorities and new technologies required to achieve food security.
Co-Chairs
- Jean Lebel, Director, Environmental & Natural Resources Management, IDRC
- Yvon Martel, International, Research Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Speakers
- Ikenna Onyido, Vice-Chancellor, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Nigeria
- Said Silim, Director - Eastern & Southern Africa, ICRISAT
- Dyno Keatinge, Director General, AVRDC - The World Vegetable Center
- Paul Mapfumo, Project leader and Regional Coordinator, CIMMYT-Southern Africa, Zimbabwe
- Ephraim Mukisera, Director, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI)
Open discussion and question period
15h15 - 15h30 Break
15h30 – 17h30 Response of International Agencies to Ongoing Challenges of Food Security
International development experts and representatives of the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Task Force on Global Food Security will report on ongoing food security implementation strategies.
Co-Chairs
- Peter Todd, Dean, Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University
- Aly Shady, Senior Water Advisor, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Speakers
- Henk-Jan Brinkman, Senior Advisor for Economic Policy, United Nations World Food Programme
- Jim Cornelius, Executive Director of Canadian Foodgrains Bank
- Christopher Delgado, Coordinator, Global Food Response Program, World Bank
- Joe Dewbre, Senior Agriculture Policy Analyst, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
- Robert Patterson, Senior Liaison Officer, Liaison Office for North America, FAO
Open discussion and question period
17h30 – 19h00 Networking Cocktail
Wednesday, October 7
Salle Prince Arthur, New Residence Hall, McGill University, 3625 Avenue du Parc
08h30 – 10h30 Markets and Trade: How They Affect Food Security
International trade policies and market liberalization have led to increased food imports by developing countries from the developed countries. Many developing countries therefore became dependent on food imports, which are many times cheaper than those produced by local farmers. Reforming trade, price and subsidy policy is, however, not easy given political sensitivities and vested interests. The gains from reforms are considerable and require a better understanding of the adjustment process.
Co-Chairs
- Caroline Begg, Department of Plant Science, McGill University
- Diane Vincent, Vice-Chairperson of the Canadian International Trade Tribunal
Speakers
- Neil Conklin, President, Farm Foundation
- Henk-Jan Brinkman, Senior Advisor for Economic Policy, United Nations World Food Programme
- Douglas Hedley, Executive Director, Canadian Faculties of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
- Christian Lacasse, Président général de l’Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA)
- Maximo Torero, Director, Market, Trade and Institution Division, IFPRI
Open discussion and question period
10h30 - 10h45 Break
10h45 – 12h30 Biofuels: How They Affect Food Security
Speakers will discuss biofuel policies, energy security and global biofuel developments. The impacts of biofuels on the diversion of land away from food production, thereby reducing food availability and driving up food prices will be presented. Trade-offs between food and energy security will be highlighted.
Co-Chairs
- Mark Curtis, Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University
- Vijaya Raghavan, Department of Bioresource Engineering, McGill University
Speakers
- Alex Ablaev, President, Russian Biofuels Association
- Shi-You Ding, Senior Researcher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Colorado
- Jose Geraldo Eugenio de França, Executive Director, EMBRAPA, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation
- Ronghou Liu, Professor, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Open discussion and question period
12h30 – 13h30 Lunch
13h30 – 15h15 Climate Change: The Challenges for Food Security
It is estimated that a change in climate could cause food production to drop by as much as 50% in many African countries and by 30% in Central and South Asia. National experts will discuss the impacts of rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns on agricultural production and food security.
Co-Chairs
- Don Smith, Chair, Plant Science Department, McGill University
- Gail Chmura, Director, Global Environmental and Climate Change Centre (GEC3), Quebec
Speakers
- Galina Stulina, SANIRI, Uzbekistan
- Bert Drake, Plant Physiologist, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
- Sam Gameda, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
- Bano Mehdi, Brace Centre for Water Resources Management, McGill University
