Universal Food Security: How to End Hunger While Protecting the Planet

Glenn Denning

Glenn Denning PhD, Professor of Professional Practice and Director of SIPA’s MPA in Development Practice program, will present the historical context and status of food security in the world today. Drawing on four decades of experience as a researcher, a practitioner, and a teacher, he will present a strategy for food systems transformation to a achieve a food-secure world. Denning is the author of Universal Food Security: How to End Hunger While Protecting the Planet (Columbia University Press, 2023).

Jessica Fanzo

Jessica Fanzo PhD, a nutrition scientist, will join the Columbia Climate School in July 2023 as Professor of Climate and director of the Climate School’s Food for Humanity signature Initiative. She is currently the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Global Food & Agricultural Policy and Ethics, and director of the Global Food Ethics and Policy Program at Johns Hopkins University.

Sarah Garland

Sarah Garland PhD, is Founder and Executive Director of Triple Helix Institute for Agriculture, Climate, and Society. She received a PhD in Plant Sciences from the University of Cambridge, UK, as a Cambridge International Scholar. Her doctoral research focused on the cutting-edge field of CRISPR gene editing in plants. Sarah’s recent work at Columbia University as an Earth Institute Postdoctoral Fellow explored the role of crop biotechnology in developing nutritious and climate-resilient agriculture systems. Her writing has been featured in publications such as Scientific American, Slate, and The New Republic.

David Dawe

David Dawe PhD, is an economist working on food policy analysis. He has worked at the Harvard Institute for International Development, the International Rice Research Institute and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. He has published books and research articles on international trade and markets, domestic price policy, production and natural resources (fertilizer and water management, climate) and nutrition, and was formerly an editor for the journal Global Food Security.

Walter Baethgen

Walter E. Baethgen PhD, is Senior Research Scientist & Director of the Regional and Sectoral Research program in the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI).  Since May 2020, he also serves as Vice-president of the Board of Directors of INIA-Uruguay. He has established regional programs that aim to improve climate risk assessment and risk management in agriculture, water resources, and natural ecosystems.  He has acted as a consultant for the World Bank, IADB, IICA, and the United Nations. He was an author in IPCC’s Second, Third and Fourth Assessment Reports and he was a member of the IPCC team that received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

Michael Sheldrick

Michael Sheldrick is a policy entrepreneur and a driving force behind the efforts of Global Citizen to end extreme poverty. As a Co-Founder and Chief Policy, Impact, and Government Affairs Officer, he leads the organization's campaigns to mobilize support from governments, businesses, and foundations. With a career that spans the world of pop and policy, Michael has worked with an impressive roster of international artists and prominent political leaders. He has co-produced some of the world's most impactful social campaigns and events, including the annual Global Citizen Festival in New York, the Guinness World Record-winning virtual concert One World: Together At Home, and the Nelson Mandela 2018 centennial celebration, Mandela 100. These initiatives have reached millions of people in over 150 countries and helped secure over $40 billion in support for local and regional organizations working to provide access to essential resources such as healthcare, education, and climate resilience.