On March 31, McGill kicks off its 200th anniversary celebration with the launch of the Bicentennial conference series, Providing solutions to global challenges. The series will focus on the future, exploring the ways in which McGill can contribute to making Quebec, Canada and the world healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable, as it enters its third century.
A Road Map for Greater Food Security and Autonomy food conference on March 31, will bring together experts in the field to discuss how McGill’s approach to education, research and partnerships can improve human access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food while giving food producers and consumers greater control over the mechanisms governing its production and distribution.
“There are plenty of challenges that hinder food security and autonomy, among them poverty and a rapidly growing global population. These issues are further compounded by climate change that will severely affect agriculture, and the fact that agriculture and related land use contribute nearly 25 per cent of globally emitted greenhouse gases,” says Anja Geitmann, Dean of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Geitmann notes that the complex, interconnected nature of global food security makes it imperative for McGill to collaborate with other institutions and its partners to find sustainable solutions.
The food conference will feature experts such as André Lamontagne, Quebec’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; Marcel Groleau, President, Union des Producteurs agricoles du Québec; Dr. Chantal Carpentier, Chief, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); Darlene McBain, Industry Relations Manager, Farm Credit Canada; and Krzysztof Pelc, Political Science Professor at McGill. “Engaging discussion across disciplines is the first step in generating ideas to help move this cause forward in meaningful ways,” says Geitmann.
A Road Map for Greater Food Security and Autonomy takes place online on March 31 from 11-12 pm. To register for this free, one-hour event, visit McGill’s Bicentennial website.