|
Several of world's leading voices in the global food crisis debate gather in
Dunedin this weekend for the University of Otago's 44th Foreign Policy School.
One of the School's directors, Associate Professor Hugh Campbell, who is also
Director of the Centre for the Study of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CSAFE),
says that the current economic crisis has tended to overshadow the burgeoning
food crisis.
"Even though the current economic crisis is a bad one, it is part
of the cyclical nature of economics. Unfortunately the current food crisis
is more than a mere cycle and needs to be examined in the light of current
trends, such as the push for global trade negotiations.
One of the central questions that will be discussed this weekend will
be whether this push for a large integrated global food market is simply pricing
food out of the range of poor people around the world."
Associate Professor Campbell says it is a global debate that has many implications
for New Zealand, which is proportionally the largest food exporter in the world.
"Food figures large in the way we generate wealth as a country.
More than 90 per cent of the food we produce is exported - largely to high
end markets.
This will be an opportune time to examine what the world food crisis
means for New Zealand - both in terms of agricultural and trade policy, as
well as for other interest groups and non-governmental organisations."
The 44th Foreign Policy School will also look at whether New Zealand has a
regional responsibility in terms of food security and consider issues of environmental
sustainability, climate change, food miles, energy expenditure in food production
and water use.
About 140 people from around New Zealand and Australia have registered for
the School.
The international line-up of speakers for the Foreign Policy School
includes:
Robert Watson - Former Associate Director for Environment in the Clinton White
House and arguably the highest profile speaker at the 2009 School. He is now
Chief Scientific Advisor in the UK Department of Environmental, Food and Rural
Affairs and was the former Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
He will talk about the future direction of global agriculture based on his work
as the Chair of the IAASTD - the UN's 2008 assessment of global agriculture.
Professor Tim Lang - From the Centre for Food Policy, City University London.
Professor Lang is probably best known for popularising the concept of food miles.
He will give a video presentation addressing the issue of how to develop a more
sustainable diet. Should we look at removing meat from our diet? Should we focus
on buying local rather than imported foods? And could eating seasonal foods
be a way of reducing the amount of energy used in food production?
Professor Jules Pretty - From the University of Essex, Professor Pretty is
a leading authority on the sustainability of agricultural production and the
environmental impact of agricultural intensification. He has strong ideas on
how to improve production while improving the environment of the farm and the
surrounding area. He will contribute to the Foreign Policy School's discussion
of the potential to meet the global demand for food in a sustainable way.
Claire Mahon - Joint co-coordinator of the Project on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and
Human rights. She is a strong advocate for the principle of having enough food,
but also having healthy food - as a basic human right.
The University of Otago's 44th Foreign Policy School will be held from Friday
26 June to Sunday 28 June at Salmond College in Dunedin.
News is included on the IvyRose website to inform visitors
about current health issues, but not to endorse any particular view or activity.
Any views expressed iin the article above are not necessarily those of IvyRose
Ltd.. Material in this news item was released by the New Zealand based source
listed below on 24 June 2009
and may have been edited (e.g. in style, length, and/or for ease of understanding
by our international readers) for inclusion here. For further information, please
visit their website.
|
