Brown to Host Major Hunger Conference
Monday, February 28, 2011
“Hungry for Answers: Addressing the Barriers to Better Nutrition in the United States and Around the World,” brings together experts at a landmark conference around a pressing theme. Doctors, researchers, nutritionists, government leaders, representatives from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other practitioners will convene to discuss the urgent problem of malnutrition at Brown University this Sunday, March 6.
Food policy commanding national attention - what about hunger?
As food policy commands the national agenda -- from the White House vegetable garden to the locavore movement – conference participants will talk about the tough issues of feeding the poor. In the shadow of rising commodity prices around the world, financial cutbacks in hunger relief programs at home and while important discussions continue about the 2012 Farm Bill, the participants will seek solutions to preventing meager
nutrition. Their experiences, perspectives and knowledge will set the stage for blunt discussion and helpful exchanges about domestic and international hunger assistance.
One of the defining questions for this conference was summarized by Andrew Schiff, CEO of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, a host agency of the conference. “Do our policies of international food relief and domestic nutrition assistance reflect the needs of agribusiness or the needs of the people who are hungry?”
The Rhode Island Community Food Bank is joined by Edesia: Global Nutrition Solutions and Brown University in organizing and planning the conference, which will be held at Brown University’s Salomon Center from 1 to 6 pm.
“Hunger is a very serious issue, " said Dr. Deborah Frank, a national authority on child development whose Grow Clinic at the Boston Medical Center treats children with nutritional needs, and will deliver a keynote speech at the conference. "You can’t just feed children anything. I am alarmed about food stamp decreases. If kids are underfed, they won’t learn in school whether or not you fire their teachers. Hunger is a health problem and its policies are written on the bodies of babies.”
National leaders to speak
Dr. Frank, also the founder and principle investigator for Children’s HealthWatch, will lead off the “Domestic Malnutrition” portion of the conference; Eileen Kennedy, former USDA official and dean of the Friedman School for Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, will deliver the keynote for the “Global Malnutrition” portion. Dr. Edward Wing, dean of the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown welcomes the conference participants and attendees. Ross Cheit, professor of political science and public policy at Brown, leads the domestic panel discussion.
Navyn Salem, the executive director of Providence-based Edesia, which produces a ready-to-use food (RUF) shown to have remarkable curative results with severely malnourished children, moderates a panel discussion on “Global Malnutrition.” Through her work, Salem seeks to alleviate the problem of malnutrition: “If people are hungry, they’re not happy," she said. "I worry about the $553 million proposed cuts to (U.S. international food aid in the proposed 2011 federal budget). That’s quite a significant cut if it makes it through. I can’t imagine the implications of cutting food aid because people, literally, will starve to death.”
Salem moderates a panel discussion, “Global Malnutrition,” during the international portion of “Hungry for Answers,” which features Dr. Susan Shepherd, the nutrition coordinator of Doctors Without Borders. Short documentary films made by Doctors Without Borders for the group’s anti-hunger campaign, “Starved for Attention,” will also be shown. Maria Kasparian, Edesia project manager, will facilitates a closing conference discussion to involve panelists and attendees.
HUNGRY FOR ANSWERS-A Conference Addressing Barriers to Nutrition in the United States and Around the World, SunMarch 6, 2011, 1-6pm, Salomon Center for Teaching, Brown University, 91 Waterman St, Providence. General Admission: $20 per person - No charge for students. To register, go online, here.
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