Reminder of the seminar on Thursday – see https://bsufn.wordpress.com/events/ .

STEPS Centre Seminar, 1.00-2.00 Thursday 14 May, Institue of Development Studies  Convening Space

 ‘Food Security Governance: empowering communities, regulating corporations’

 By Nora McKeon

Nora McKeon studied history at Harvard and political science at the Sorbonne before joining the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations where she directed the organization’s relations with civil society. A major focus of her work was opening FAO up to civil society/social movements.

“Today’s global food system generates hunger alongside of land grabs, food waste, health problems, massive greenhouse gas emissions. Nora McKeon’s new book explains why we find ourselves in this situation and explores what we can do to change it. In her talk she will review how the international community (mis)handled food issues since WWII up to the food crisis of 2007-2008, privileging short term national or private interests over long-term public goals of equity and sustainability. She will contrast how actors link up in corporate global food chains – in which producers, consumers and the environment are the losers – and in the local food systems that are considered to be “alternative” but in fact feed most of the world’s population. She will explain how the financial and structural power of corporations, allied to discourse that portrays their approach to meeting the world’s food needs as “modern” and “productive”, allows them to set the rules to their advantage.”