For 64 years, the Borah Symposium has informed the community about the causes of war and the conditions for peace. This year “Cultivating Peace: Food & War” is the symposium’s theme, which is intended to provoke the community to think about the correlation between food and war.
“It’s a focus on the link between sustainability and war,” said Keelcy Perez, student symposium co-chair. “It’s not often that we think about how war causes a struggle with food in our society. We wanted to show students the correlation between hunger, sustainability, war and peace.”
Perez said this is why they selected Vandana Shiva as the keynote speaker.
“She has continuously shown the context of the current global food crisis,” Perez said.
Melissa Saul, faculty symposium co-chair, said Shiva will be looking at food sovereignty issues.
“Food sovereignty means people in places have control over their food system so there are not corporations involved,” Saul said. “People are able to create biodiversity and keep it within the local community.”
The symposium will open April 9 with the film “Darwin’s Nightmare,” which explores the current situation at Lake Victoria in Africa where the introduction of a new species has changed the natural balance and introduced an entirely new ecosystem of people, poverty and a multinational industry.
On April 10, Guy Knudsen, Professor of Microbial Ecology and Plant Pathology at UI will give a day talk about food security in Haiti.
“I will discuss the various conditions that lead to lack of food security in Haiti agricultural and disaster related and economically related and what possible things people in the U.S. might do to help the situation,” Knudsen said.
That evening Raj Patel will speak about food security locally and globally.
“He will address why, in the U.S., 40 percent of children are food insecure, even though we are wealthy,” Saul said, among other examples of food security or insecurity.
In addition to the speakers, there will be a talk hosted by local farmers discussing the local food crisis within our community.
Although the events are held on campus, and the foundation is run by the university, Perez said she hopes the symposium will reach a wider audience.
“We want the opportunity open to anyone who can make the event,” Perez said. “We think we have a broad enough topic that intrigues people.”
Perez said all events are in the Student Union Building ballroom, which she hopes will be at full capacity for each event.
For more information, visit the symposium’s website at www.uidaho.edu/class/borah.
Katy Sword can be reached at [email protected]