FJF to host virtual 2020 University Speaker Series: Revisioning the Global Food System

Farm Journal Foundation to host virtual

2020 University Speaker Series: Revisioning the Global Food System

First in series to be held at 5:30 p.m. EDT, Thursday, September 17

Washington, D.C. – (September 14, 2020) – The Farm Journal Foundation today announced the kick-off of its inaugural 2020 University Speaker Series: Revisioning the Global Food System. The series, which kicks off Thursday, September 17, is comprised of three virtual panel discussions that bring influential voices and college students together to discuss potential modifications to the global food system in light of weaknesses revealed through the global pandemic. The series will be moderated by former Wall Street Journal foreign correspondent and author Roger Thurow, who is serving as a scholar in residence at the Hunger Solutions Institute at Auburn University.

“The University Speaker Series was created to initiate dialogue about the most important issues impacting the value chain of food creation between a diverse representation of leaders across sectors and college students, who represent the country’s future voters, consumers and community leaders,” said Farm Journal Foundation CEO Tricia Beal. “COVID-19 is spurring rapid evolution through nearly every aspect of the way we live, including our behaviors in relation to food and in all too many cases diminished access to it.”

University partners for the speaker series include Auburn University, Cornell University, Duke University, Iowa State University, Pennsylvania State University and Tuskegee University. Students who participate in the panel discussions, which will be hosted on Zoom, will be invited to join a Q&A dialogue at the conclusion of each panel discussion.

The public is invited to attend the speaker series. Click here to register (at no charge) for the first University Speaker Series panel discussion, which will be held at 5:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday, September 17 via Zoom.

Series details follow:

Farm Journal Foundation University Speaker Series: Revisioning the Global Food System

Thursday, September 17, 5:30 p.m. EDT

Level Setting: The Global Food Value Chain Transformed: The current Covid-19 pandemic is creating forces of change within our global food value chain. This panel will explore the key challenges and opportunities emerging both in the short- and long-term.

Series Moderator: Roger Thurow

Panel:
 *Dr. Olga Bolden-Tiller, Department Head, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Tuskegee University; National President-Elect, Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS)

Dr. Paul Westhoff, Director, Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI), University of Missouri

Dave Puglia, President and CEO, Western Growers

Jon Dogett, CEO, National Corn Growers Association

*Keynote speaker

Thursday, October 1, 5:30 p.m. EST

The Evolving Path of Food to Our Plates: Exploring the reshaping of consumption patterns of individual households and institutional buyers.

Series Moderator: Roger Thurow

Panel:

*Under Secretary Greg Ibach, Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA

Leslie Sarasin, President, Food Marketing Institute

Tina Owens, Senior Director of Agricultural Funding and Communications, Danone North America

Dr. Jayson Lusk, Chair, Agricultural Economics Department, Purdue University

AG Kawamura, Partner, Orange County Produce

*Keynote speaker

WORLD FOOD PRIZE SIDE EVENT

Thursday, October 15, 12:30 p.m. EST

Pathways to Preventing Famine and Chronic Hunger: Over the past decade, partners in government, NGO and the public sector have worked to drastically reduce chronic hunger levels. The current COVID-19 pandemic threatens to undo these improvements and thrust millions of people into famine – how can we prevent this?

Series Moderator: Roger Thurow

Panel:

*Dr. Mark Keenum, BIFAD Chair; President, Mississippi State University

Dr. Catherine Bertini, Rockefeller Foundation Fellow and CCGA Distinguished Fellow

Claudia Sadoff, Research Delivery and Impact, CGIAR

Dr. Daniel Foster, Global Teach Ag! Network, Pennsylvania State University

Closing Remarks: U.S. Ambassador Kip Tom, United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome

*Keynote speaker

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About Farm Journal Foundation

Farm Journal Foundation is an independent, non-partisan organization dedicated to sustaining agriculture’s ability to meet the vital needs of a growing population through education and advocacy. To build support for sustaining American leadership in agriculture, Farm Journal Foundation engages with farmers and other producers, educates young people about agriculture, and helps policymakers understand the vital importance of agriculture to the U.S. economy and global stability. To learn more, visit: www.farmjournalfoundation.org