On October 25, 2011, Barry University will host a one-day mini-conference on “Global Hunger: Eradicating Food Scarcity/Fostering Food Justice.” This exciting all day event will include panel presentations and discussions, guest speakers from local community-based agencies, film screenings, service opportunities, and many other interesting sessions. The goal of the conference, which will be geared to undergraduate students, is to explore in depth one of the key global issues discussed in Plan B 4.0: food scarcity. Food scarcity results when populations cannot support themselves with local production. However, while developing countries are experiencing food shortages and insecurity, people in developed countries are spending more of their income on food that is often making them less healthy. In addition, because agribusiness practices are often damaging to local ecosystems, the environmental degradation that results further jeopardizes food production and escalates food costs.
In the weeks after the conference, students may choose to participate in poetry/writing contest, where prize-money will be awarded for the best entries. Attending conference sessions and relating the information to the reader may be required or optional assignments for many classes.
Instructors may require attendance to the conference as part of a class assignment.
For more information about this event and Barry's Common Reader http://www.barry.edu/commonreader/