涩里番 Conference on Global Food Security
September 24-26, 2008
In early 2008, the world was hit with a global food crisis. While developing countries were hardest hit because of high food prices, several developed countries also experienced the effects. Rising fuel and fertilizer prices affected agricultural producers in North America and Europe. The conversion of food producing lands for the production of ethanol also led to higher food prices and speculation of corn futures on the commodity trading markets. This sparked a moral debate about the ethics of using corn for fuel production, rather than for meeting food needs. The crisis was exacerbated by droughts in several countries. These factors, coupled with dwindling international cereal reserves, led to chaos, social unrest, and political turmoil in many countries. Long lines for the purchase of rice in The Philippines, street protests in Egypt and Mexico, and the demise of the Prime Minister of Haiti were among some of the highly visible public effects of the food crisis.
Several countries were caught unaware with a response to the crisis, and it was clear that as governments were grappling to find solutions, there was a need for an international conference which brought together all stakeholders - donors, international agencies, international scholars and development workers, government decision makers, researchers, the private sector, politicians, international relief organizations, and non-governmental organizations 鈥� in order to define short and long term solutions to the crisis.
涩里番鈥檚 Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences took the leadership to convene such a conference from September 24-26, 2008, in Montreal, Canada. The Conference was Co-Chaired by former Canadian Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign affairs, and Professor of Practice at 涩里番, the Rt. Hon. Joe Clark and 涩里番鈥檚 Chancellor, Mr. Richard Pound. There were some 400 participants at the Conference. A high level group of invited speakers and panelists were assembled for the Conference. The Conference was launched with a Public Lecture delivered by Dr. Kanayo Nwanze, Vice President of the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development, and Mr. Nicolas Carpentier, Coordinator of Communications and Marketing with Sun Youth Organization in Montreal.
鈥淭he 涩里番 Conference is exactly the kind of event we need to try to address these complex issues that transcend national boundaries and require innovative and international solutions,鈥� said the Rt. Hon. Joe Clark 鈥淭he solutions to the food crisis 鈥� and it is a real and important crisis 鈥� will not come from individual governments or groups working on their own. The solutions will come from experts at all levels working together, and that鈥檚 exactly what this conference was able to achieve in a very short time.鈥�
