The Future of Food : Science and Politics of Corporate farming

Association for India's Development (AID), Austin invites you to

“The Future of Food : Science and Politics of Corporate farming”

a talk by journalist and agricultural scientist Devinder Sharma

Devinder Sharma

Friday, October 9, 2009

6 p.m.

University of Texas at Austin

Welch Hall (WEL 2.224)

 

 

The global food crisis of 2008 led to increased food prices, decreased availability and widespread social and political unrest, particularly in poor and developing countries. Experts worldwide have speculated on the causes and long-term effects of such crisis, citing reasons varying from population growth to increasing use of biofuels in developed countries. Having worked and reported from the very grass roots of agriculture in India, one of the countries most vulnerable to food shortages and crisis, Devinder Sharma will present his perspective on how the systematic corporatization of agriculture threatens livelihoods and food security worldwide.

The Speaker:

Devinder Sharma is an award-winning Indian journalist, writer, thinker, and researcher well known and respected for his views on food and trade policy. Trained as an agricultural scientist (he holds a Master’s in Plant Breeding & Genetics), Sharma has been with the Indian Express, amongst the largest selling English language dailies in India. He quit active journalism to research on policy issues concerning sustainable agriculture, biodiversity and intellectual property rights, environment and development, food security and poverty, biotechnology and hunger, and the implications of the free trade paradigm for developing countries.

Invited all over the world to speak and share his views on the future of international agriculture, he has the privilege of interacting with and influencing some of the world's important leaders. His strong grip on the ground realities and the ability to weave it into an incisive policy analysis makes him a leading voice from the majority world. He has had the privilege and honour of addressing parliamentary briefings at seven parliaments in Europe, including the House of Commons. He has delivered more than 100 keynote addresses at international conferences/congresses in the past five years. He also uses his regular columns to disseminate the analysis among the masses. He chairs an independent collective in New Delhi, called the Forum for Biotechnology & Food Security. He also coordinates the GM Free India coalition which is at the forefront of the GM free movement in India.

Devinder Sharma was recently honored as one of the 25 most valuable Indians by the magazine "The Week", he blogs at http://devinder-sharma.blogspot.com/

For more information about this event, please call (512) 524 3819 or email:  austin@aidindia.org