NEWS
The food science department and the Chapman chapter of Oxfam America hosted the event.
Oxfam America is an international organization that looks for global solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. The three-hour teleconference included a panel discussion.
The panelists were Nancy Birdsall, president of the Center for Global Development, Siwa Msangi, from the International Food Policy Research Institute, and Mark Ritchie, founder of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. They discussed the link between the economic and climate changes and the global food crisis.
Precipitation changes and temperature increases contribute to the food shortages, they said. These changes have caused farmers to face unfamiliar pests and diseases, according to the panelists.
Bob Dole and George McGovern, former senators and presidential candidates, spoke about their efforts to stop the food crisis. They were the 2008 laureates of the World Food Prize, an international award that recognizes individuals who have improved the quality, quantity and availability of food.
They partnered to start the McGovern-Dole Global School Feeding Program, which provides free school lunches in countries throughout the world.
Various solutions to the food crisis were explained, such as lowering the price of water and emitting less greenhouse gasses.
“I thought it was really interesting to see how everything related to each other,” said sophomore Christine Hair.
The last part of the teleconference was a live question-and-answer session for callers from around the country.
“I couldn’t really relate to [the teleconference], so it was boring for me because it didn’t pertain to my life,” said sophomore Jen Helak. “But I went for extra credit for one of my classes.”
Contact this reporter: anoushka.daska-coyle@thepantheronline.com
