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Food for Thought 1.14

Vaclav Smil: The future of food in the age of less

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Vaclav Smil: The future of food in the age of less

World hunger and obesity, dwindling resources and food waste, extensive farming and polluted seas: the future of the food supply is giving cause for concern. Our level of consumption is harming our health and environment. We are demanding ever more of the same – an economic course that can only end badly.

Ecological solutions for Nature, economic measures for industry? A silo mentality is not the answer. Food has become a highly complex system involving innumerable players. Those who want to change it need to understand the broad picture.

Vaclav Smil is one who does. The Canadian polymath scholar is an independent, interdisciplinary and fearless thinker. Though he has published over 30 books and 400 essays, he has, until recently, been an insider tip. Now Bill Gates has outed himself as an admirer: "I'm trying to read everything he writes".

In his analysis of the future of food, Smil combines topics such as energy, ecology, demography, food production, technology, risk assessment and politics. "Harvesting the Biosphere" (2013) is his fascinating survey of solutions that range from vegetarianism to genetic engineering. Smil will discuss the best and most surprising of these at the GDI, giving us a global perspective on the future of food in the Age of Less.

Referent

Daniel Miller

Grossbritannien

Professor of Material Culture am University College London sowie Fellow der British Academy. Er erforscht das Verständnis der kulturellen und sozialen Bedeutung von Dingen. Bücher u.a.: «Der Trost der Dinge» und «Das wilde Netzwerk. Ein ethnologischer Blick auf Facebook».

Programme

18.00
Welcome drink

18.30
3 course dinner and Prof. Vaclav Smil’s speech, followed by networking

22.00
Closing


Information

Date
26 February 2014

Price
1 participant CHF 240.-, from 2 participants each CHF 205.-

The fee has to be paid in advance. The price depends on the number of participants from the same firm. Any subsequent participants registered separately will be billed separately. The conference fee includes all food and beverages (including VAT). Participants registering less than two weeks before the event can pay by credit card only.

Event location
Langhaldenstrasse 21
8803 Rüschlikon

Further
Language
English (no translation)