October 14, 2013—In some areas of Africa, farmers, scientists and policymakers are beginning to win the war on hunger, says Pedro Sanchez, PhD. Several factors have come together in recent years to tip the scales and increase food production.
Sanchez will present "The African Green Revolution at the Tipping Point," on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2013 at 8:45 AM. The presentation is part of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America Annual Meetings, Nov. 3-6 in Tampa, Florida. The theme of this year's conference is "Water, Food, Energy, & Innovation for a Sustainable World". http://www.acsmeetings.org
According to Sanchez, not only will African farmers in countries like Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Ghana and Malawi will be able to sell more food this year, but they will have enough to feed their own families. "All factors are moving along the value chain" says Sanchez, including policies and subsidies, credit guarantees and the creation of buyer groups. Agronomic improvements, bringing fertilizer and better seeds, are the entry point of the success. "In order for us to move Africa above this level of success, we will need to implement agricultural technologies," says Sanchez. He will address these methods in his lecture.
Sanchez is currently Director of the Africulture and Food Security Center of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, 2002 World Food Prize laureate, MacArthur fellow, member of the US National Academy of Sciences and fellow of the American Society of Agronomy, , and the Soil Science Society of America,
Media Invitation: Members of the media receive complimentary registration to the joint meetings.
Contact: Susan V. Fisk, 608-273-8091, sfisk@sciencesocieties.org. Please RSVP by October 25, 2013. If you would like a 1-on-1 interview with Dr. Sanchez, contact Susan Fisk.