September 16, 2019
Blacksburg, VA

On September 16, 2019, the Virginia Tech College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Global Programs Offics (CALS Global) will host best-selling author Roger Thurow for a series of public events, as part of its Gloal Agricultural Productivity Initiative. Roger is an expert in agricultural development, nutrition, and food security and the author of Enough, The Last Hunger Season, and The First 1,000 Days. He joined the Chicago Council on Global Affairs as a senior fellow in global food and agriculture after three decades as a journalist covering Africa and Europe for The Wall Street Journal

Thurow Flyer
Politics of Food Security and Nutrition Flyer

Politics of Food Security and Nutrition

9:00 AM - 10:30 AM, Newman Library Multipurpose Room

The global food price crisis of 2007-2008 was a wake-up call for the global community, demonstrating that the world is unprepared to sustainably produce enough nutritious food for a growing population.

Roger Thurow will provide insights into how policymakers are addressing the complex environmental, economic, and human challenges to achieving food and nutrition securty. He will also share stories about the people whose lives and livelihoods hang in the balance, including African smallholder farmers and undernourished mothers and children around the world.

This event is co-hosted by the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance and the Community Change Collaborative

Thurow Flyer
The Last Hunger Season Flyer

The Last Hunger Season

12:30 PM - 2:00 PM, Fralin Hall Auditorium

Africa's small farmers are living and working essentially as they did in the 1930s. Without mechanized equipment, fertilizer, or irrigationl using primitive storage facilities, roads, and markets; they harvest only one-quarter the yields of Western farmers. Roger Thurow spent a year following the progress of four Kenya women farmers as they strived to change their odds for success - and their families' futures.

Roger will share the stories of these remarkable women and their determination to end the hunger season. His presentation will be followed by a panel discussion about the challenges anad opportunities for smallholder farmers in Africa.