As the world’s population grows daily so does the world’s demand for food, a World Food Prize laureate said during a presentation Tuesday.
Gebisa Ejeta, a distinguished professor of plant breeding and genetics and international agricultural at Purdue University, spoke to a crowd of about 200 at Emerson Alumni Hall.
Born and raised in a small Ethiopian village, Ejeta, who was introduced as a “rock star of agriculture,” said he believes that in order to bring about world peace, world hunger must be addressed.
Ejeta split his presentation into two parts. The first covered the issues facing society regarding food production.
The second focused on the challenges facing developing countries such as those on the African continent.
Throughout both parts, Ejeta emphasized the overlying issue of poverty.
Among those in attendance at Tuesday’s presentation was UF President Bernie Machen.
The challenges Ejeta discussed included a growing population, deforestation, climate change, water shortages and a lack of agricultural education. Ejeta said he believes technology is part of the answer to meeting the world’s projected doubling demand of food.
Another part of the answer, he said, lies in education.
He said that while developing countries have seen a rise in school attendance, he worries that the quality of their education may not be sufficient. Ejeta said he wants to focus on networking young African scientists and mentors who can inspire them.
While the list of challenges facing the agricultural industry is daunting and appears to be somewhat overwhelming, Ejeta remains hopeful.
“We can still rise up to the challenges and face them head on,” he said.
