McGill Conference on Global Food Security
October 4-6, 2011
Public Lecture Forum
Tuesday October 4
5:00 - 6:30 p.m.
Moyse Hall (Arts Building)
McGill University, 853 Sherbrooke Street West
Hunger and Humanitarian Crisis in the Horn of Africa
David Morley
President and CEO, UNICEF Canada
Conference Sessions
Salle Prince Arthur, New Residence Hall
McGill University, 3625 Avenue du Parc
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 08:00 | Registration Opens |
| 08:30-09:00 |
Ministerial Address The Honourable Beverley J. Oda |
| 09:00-09:30 |
Special Keynote Address The compelling need for effective food systems |
| 09:30-11:00 | Food Security and Natural Resources Responsible management of land, water, soil fertility and plant biodiversity is critical to achieving sustainable agricultural production. Competition for these natural resources is affected by foreign investments in agricultural lands, ecosystem degradation, water shortages, biofuel production and climate change. These challenges and conflicts must be addressed to ensure long term global food security. Co-Chairs: Don Smith and Jim Fyles, McGill University Speakers: Amit Roy, IFDC Mark Rosegrant, IFPRI David Hallam, FAO Brent Paterson, Alberta Agriculture Health Break |
| 11:15-12:30 | Food Safety, Trade and International Markets Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned over the safety and quality of their food supplies. As the globalization of trade in food continues to expand, there will be consumer and pressure from food retailers and suppliers to ensure the most stringent international food safety standards and good agricultural practices. This may at the same time have implications for less developed countries, in particular, who wish to be competitive in international markets. Will stringent food safety regulations restrict the food trading potential and ability of some countries? Co-Chairs: Speakers: |
| 13:45-15:30 | Food Price Volatility Sudden shifts in food prices are a major threat to food security in developing countries. Price shocks have a major impact on the poor who spend as much as 70% of their income on food. Severe food price volatility is triggered by weather extremes affecting harvests; reliance on international trade to meet food needs; a growing demand for biofuels and a faster transmission of macroeconomic factors (such as exchange rate volatility) onto commodity markets. Co-Chairs: Speakers: |
| 15:45-17:00 | Student Panel: Grassroots Action and Challenges Communities and individuals who shoulder the responsibility for their own well being are an important part of effecting positive change in any field which sees an injustice or inequality. While high-level policies will help guide the direction we take as a global population to address food security issues it is important to recognize that organizations working on the ground play a role in shaping the understanding of those high-level decision makers. The aim of this panel is to foster dialogue between community organizations and policy makers. Co-Chairs: Speakers: Poster Sessions, Networking and Refreshments |
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 08:00 | Registration Opens |
| 08:30-10:15 | Public Private Partnerships The public sector plays a major role in agricultural research and development but is not often effective at bringing products to market. The private sector is potentially more efficient at marketing of input supplies and harvested commodities, but is reluctant to take risk and make major investments to increase small holder productivity. Innovative public private partnerships where donor and public funding leverages private sector investments and complements their technical and value creation process are key to improving global food security, particularly in developing countries where the private sector is not well-embedded. Co-Chairs: Speakers: Health Break |
| 10:30-12:15 | Conquering Global Hunger Almost 1 billion people are undernourished worldwide and close to 60% of these live in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. By 2030 it is estimated that global food production must at least double to meet increasing global food demand. Applied research projects that solve immediate and concrete food security challenges on the ground in the developing world are a major tool to promote long term productive and sustainable agricultural production that make food more secure and nutritious. Co-Chairs: Speakers: |
| 12:15-14:30 | Lunch and Plenary Wrap Up Chair: Chandra Madramootoo, FAES, McGill University |
