01.06.2015 | City of Bonn/Right Livelihood College: Who will feed the world?

The Mayor of the City of Bonn and the Director of the Right Livelihood College cordially invite you to a Panel Discussion on “Global Agriculture between Population Growth, Business, Sustainability, and Poverty”, followed by an informal get-together,

on Monday, 1 June, at 6:00 p.m.,

at the Old Town Hall of the City of Bonn (Gobelinsaal), Markt, Bonn.

The panel is part of an international workshop of the Right Livelihood College (RLC) at the Center for Development Research (ZEF), taking place in Bonn from 30 May to 4 June.

Background
The United Nations forecast 9 billion people will be living on our planet by the mid of this century. To feed the world’s rapidly-expanding population, agriculture must not only produce substantially more – but also in different ways. Agricultural land is increasingly scarce and contested; the same applies to water and other natural resources. Many ecosystems that form the backbone of food production are already overused and depleted. Additionally, increased climate variability and market price fluctuations create uncertainties. In most countries, agriculture is still a ‘poor man’s business’. 90 percent of the rural population in the Global South depends on smallholder agriculture for their livelihoods, and those who produce food are often the most food-insecure. At the same time, consumer demands and habits are rapidly changing worldwide. The trend towards meat-rich diets causes more global competition and higher prices. Combined, all this poses fundamental challenges to the agricultural sector in the coming years – especially for smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia.

The discussion will be held in English.

Read the invitation

Source: Information by the City of Bonn from 21.05.2015

The Mayor of the City of Bonn and the Director of the Right Livelihood College cordially invite you to a Panel Discussion on “Global Agriculture between Population Growth, Business, Sustainability, and Poverty”, followed by an informal get-together,

on Monday, 1 June, at 6:00 p.m.,

at the Old Town Hall of the City of Bonn (Gobelinsaal), Markt, Bonn.

The panel is part of an international workshop of the Right Livelihood College (RLC) at the Center for Development Research (ZEF), taking place in Bonn from 30 May to 4 June.

Background
The United Nations forecast 9 billion people will be living on our planet by the mid of this century. To feed the world’s rapidly-expanding population, agriculture must not only produce substantially more – but also in different ways. Agricultural land is increasingly scarce and contested; the same applies to water and other natural resources. Many ecosystems that form the backbone of food production are already overused and depleted. Additionally, increased climate variability and market price fluctuations create uncertainties. In most countries, agriculture is still a ‘poor man’s business’. 90 percent of the rural population in the Global South depends on smallholder agriculture for their livelihoods, and those who produce food are often the most food-insecure. At the same time, consumer demands and habits are rapidly changing worldwide. The trend towards meat-rich diets causes more global competition and higher prices. Combined, all this poses fundamental challenges to the agricultural sector in the coming years – especially for smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia.

The discussion will be held in English.

Read the invitation

Source: Information by the City of Bonn from 21.05.2015