On March 22, 2022 (ET), Penn Vet School Faculty members discussed challenges and opportunities surrounding global food security now and in the future. How do we balance agricultural productivity, efficiency, and sustainability? How does this look different in different geographic contexts? Southeast Asia, and in particular, China’s efforts to ensure food security for its people continue to have a global impact on the supply, demand, and prices of agricultural commodities critical to producing food for people. Recent unexpected complications from infectious diseases in both pigs and humans highlight the complexity and fragility of our global food supply. However, in the decades to come the focus on global food security will likely shift to the African continent where the population growth will be most dramatic, the impact of anthropogenic climate change on agriculture promises to be most severe, and the farming practices still largely based on small holder models.
This panel, featuring Penn Vet’s Prof. Thomas D. Parsons and Lecturer Brianna Parsons examined the challenges and trade-offs in our interconnected global food system and speculated about opportunities for increased sustainability and equity as we strive to achieve global food security.
This event was a part of PWCC’s “Penn at Work — Making Your Future” series, which covers carefully curated topics that will define the future and reshape humanity through the lens of our students, faculty, alumni, and industry leaders.
Watch the full event recording above.
