GFR are happy to announe you that we will co-host the international symposium, Solutions to address food and environmental problems － Visions for the future of Africa －

Date: September 29th, 2023​, 10am – 5:30pm
Venue: Auditorium, 4th floor at School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University​（also on Zoom）

Details, Registration: https://foodresourcesafric.wixsite.com/gcf2023

Africa maintains a high population growth rate, and the demand for food continues to rise. The food supply has been severely affected because of climate change and the Ukrainian crisis, which has further increased grain prices. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop agriculture and solve food problems in Africa. As highlighted at COP27 in November 2022, African countries are the most severely affected by climate change, with heat waves, floods, droughts, and other extreme weather events occurring frequently. The countries affected urgently need to develop coping strategies and adaptation in the face of these climate changes. Given this vulnerability, people face various problems, and they need to manage those risks daily. Meanwhile, African countries are expected to play a substantial role in global warming and decarbonization, and their presence in the “green economy” is rapidly increasing. We need to pay attention to the countries from the Global South that are affected by climate change but are also responsible for its solutions.

In the first part of this symposium, we invite Professor Keijiro Otsuka, a world leading development economist who has devoted himself to the Green Revolution in Africa, and explore the current status, challenges, and future prospects for agriculture and food production in Africa.

In the second part of the seminar, we invite both undergrad and grad students to present their research. Please give them comments and enjoy discussion with them.

In the third part of the seminar, we will discuss agricultural and environmental issues facing African countries from a fieldwork perspective. Inviting speakers from various fields of expertise such as technology transfer, natural resource management, and nutrition consumption, we will explore a range of future perspectives on the food and environmental problems affecting the countries of the African continent.

Although Africa has often described as a uniform image, it has diverse food cultures and social systems. Understanding the agricultural, natural capital, social, economic, and cultural backgrounds that support these cultures is the first step toward solving food and environmental problems. The decisions of the present generation will affect the food and environmental challenges affecting future generations. In today’s globalized world, Africa’s food and environmental problems are strongly related to those that we face in the developed world. Alongside young researchers and students who will lead in the future, we aim to solve food and environmental problems and find a vision for the future of Africa.

Hosted by 
Global Center for Food, Land and Water Resources (GCF), Hokkaido University

Co-hosted by
Graduate School of Global Food Resources, Hokkaido University
Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University

Supported by
Hokkaido University Research Network with African Countries
Institute for the Advancement of Sustainability, Hokkaido University
Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education (GI-CoRE), Hokkaido University

Inquiry:
Global Center for Food,Land and Water Resources
Research Faculty of Agiculture
Hokkaido University

TEL:011-706-3198　 MAil:gcf@agr.hokudai.ac.jp