Promoting sustainable agriculture and better nutrition while achieving food security and ending hunger.
The world produces enough food to feed everyone on this planet, so why are a quarter of people food insecure? Building sustainable, resilient food systems is a holistic way of combating many problems on our planet. About 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from food production. Agriculture is at the whim of our changing climate. Obesity and chronic illnesses are on the rise due to diet.
Check out the resources collected below that lifts up the importance of combating hunger from faculty, staff and guest lectures here at UB.
Listen to a five part webinar series on Planning for Community Food Systems in the Global South. (UBuffalo school of Architecture and Planning, 5/3/2019)
Allison DeHonney, President and CEO, Urban Fruits and Veggies and Yeeli Mui, Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health discuss the importance of community partnerships in scholarship and action. (UB Community for Global Health Equity, 1/13/2021)
Marie Ruel, Director of IFPRI's Poverty, Health, and Nutrition Division discusses the food system in the Global South. (UB Community for Global Health Equity, 2/5/2020)
Food security and urban systems governance are not widely acknowledged as falling within local government mandates in African cities. However, urban policies and planning profoundly shape urban food systems and the urban conditions that drive food insecurity and malnutrition. The state’s engagement with the food system is informed by historical policy and planning legacies overlaid with decontextualized imported ideals from the global north. This lecture presents findings from research conducted in South Africa, Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe to frame the impacts of existing planning on food security, but also the potential for more food sensitive planning to emerge. (UB School of Architecture and Planning 4/25/2019)
Did you know that the City of Buffalo is recognized as the 3rd poorest city in the nation? During this seminar regarding the Massachusetts Avenue Project, ideas to improve these diverse areas of the city are presented, with hopes to fix both the employment and poverty rate within the area. On top of fixing those key aspects, promoting a healthy and nutritious lifestyle is also encouraged. Some of the featured health-improving initiatives include aquaponics greenhouses, a growing green mobile market, and the overall importance of cooking and nutrition education. Watch this insightful seminar to understand and see what you, yourself can do to help out with this cause. (UB School of Public Health 2/24/2014)
Seeding Resilience is a community-led coalition that’s seeking to strengthen the local food system in response to COVID-19. It was formed in response to the increase food insecurity and hunger across the U.S. as unemployment rises, schools close, and the pandemic and related emergency measures make it more difficult for many people to obtain food.
Shop Smart—plan meals, use shopping lists and avoid impulse buys so that you don’t purchase too much and the food ultimately becomes waste. Be an active participant in your food system- learn about where your food comes from, its environmental impacts, and about concepts like “food justice” and “food sovereignty.” In addition, our local food banks are always looking for volunteers and donations.