If you signed up for this session please show up-- space is limited and we have folks on the waitlist. Thank you!
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The Role of Aquaculture in the Future of Food Production
Our food production systems are about to encounter unparalleled challenges. By mid-century the world's population will increase by 2 billion people. Additionally, escalating worldwide wealth is leading to changing food desires. Together these mean food production will need to double in about 30 years. Current practices won't take us there. Agricultural production consumes 70% of the world's water and 35% of our land. Aquaculture has the potential to be a substantial contributor to our food future. Its development can and must be built on a foundation of sustainable practices. As one example of this, Scott Nichols will share new practices developed at Verlasso that allow salmon to be raised in harmony with the environment.
The economic, marketing and supply chain challenges of creating a brand new category of local and organic food can seem insurmountable; the rewards can be nebulous. Come hear stories from the front line of trying to create the category of Local and Organic Spirits in the cut-throat world of big alcohol from Scott Maitland of Topo Distillery!
More than 32 million children particupate in the National School Lunch program. In 2012 the USDA announced new rules about these school meals, and school nutrition policy has been in the news a lot since then. (Remember when pizza was considered a vegetable?) What exactly are these policies, and why? What affects are they having on childrens' health? (Is there a link to the obesity epidemic?) What can be done (by individuals, businesses, and/or government) to reverse these trends? Discuss all this and more during this hour spend with Professor Ammerman!
The farmed vs. wild-caught debate, apps that recommend the most sustainable fish option on a dinner menu, and the many ways to structure fishing regulations! Dialogue around seafood has certainly come a long way in the past 15 years. In this session, Dr. Smith will cover the major trends in seafood production, demand, and international trade and the ways that innovation has shaped the seafood market! Explore three distinct types of innovation in the seafood space: technological, market, and policy. And, learn the ways that innovations in seafood build on one another, and how this creates opportunities for private and social entrepreneurs.
The Self-Help Federal Credit Union (SHFCU) is a family of nonprofit organizations whose mission is to create and protect ownership and economic opportunity for all. It is a $583 million Community Development Financial Institution dedicated to providing sustainable loans and responsible financial products for people of modest means, and is one of the fastest growing credit unions in the nation!
The session in an exciting chance to learn how this successful organization functions, and we will emphasize why and how it lends to healthy food projects across the country. What are the challenges of financing in the food sector? How do people interested in this sector overcome collateral and cash flow challenges? How does, say, a food hub get financed? Explore all this and more!
If you signed up for this session please show up-- space is limited and we have folks on the waitlist. Thank you!
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Challenging the Norm to Solve America’s Food Waste Problem
The U.S. sends more than 60 billion pounds of food waste to the landfill each year. That’s 18 percent of our total waste stream that could be repurposed if not prevented. Awareness is no longer the issue, especially as municipalities pass food waste mandates pushing citizen and corporate sustainability. The issue is slowness to action and outdated thinking that perpetuates the status quo. The new generation has an opportunity to solve America’s food waste problem, and it all starts with asking a question. Larry LeSueur shares how the team at WISErg used questions to ignite development and implementation of disruptive solutions to our community’s waste problem.