Monday, 21 October 2019
Professor Graziano da Silva, Former Director-General of the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations), is sharing his views on what is wrong with the food system at a special evening event at the University of Nottingham.
Professor José Graziano da Silva has worked on food security, rural development and agriculture issues for over 35 years, most notably as the architect of Brazil’s Zero Hunger programme and as the Director General of FAO. He previously headed the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean from 2006 to 2011.
Graziano’s talk, ‘what is wrong with our food system,’ will cover the fact that while undernutrition persists, there is an unprecedented rise in obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases, also in low- and middle-income countries. He will also explore the topic of how to feed a growing and urbanizing world population with natural resources that are more and more limited and depleted.
Partnership to improve sustainability
The talk is taking place on Wednesday 23rdOctober and has been organised by the University of Nottingham’s Future Food Beacon of Excellence. It is part of an ongoing partnership with the FAO who the university signed a Memoradum of Understanding with earlier this year.
The working partnership incudes a forthcoming FAO workshop in Brazil where researchers from the university and partners will share information and experiences on social innovation, urban agenda and the role of the consumer in the sustainability of the food systems in Latin America and the Caribbean and establish a regional work agenda with emphasis on promoting actions in Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Costa Rica.
It is imperative for all of us to join efforts to transform food systems, and science has a strategic role in achieving this. The production and consumption of healthy and nutritious food that is accessible to all is one of the most important challenges in the world and the solution needs to be sustainable both for the people and the planet.
Professor da Silva added: “We cannot transform our food systems if we do not ensure adequate, affordable and accessible safe and healthy diets for all through sustainable agriculture practices."
The event is free to attend, register here to secure your place.
Story credits
More information is available from Professor David Salt, in the School of Biosciences at the University of Nottingham, on David.salt@nottingham.ac.uk or Jane Icke, Media Relations Managers for the Faculty of Science at the University of Nottingham, on +44 (0)115 951 5751 or jane.icke@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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