Place: 4274 Chamberlin (refreshments will be served)
Speaker: Jed Colquhoun, UW Department of Horticulture
Abstract: Agricultural production and processing represent diverse, independently managed and complex systems overlaid with equally if not more complex biological and climactic variables. As such, waste happens, but not necessarily where one might expect. According to Jonathan Bloom in American Wasteland, per capita food waste has increased by 50% since 1974, with the majority of this waste in the trash bin at home. Food currently accounts for 19% of landfill waste. Additionally, food production represents almost one fifth of total U.S. energy use and the vast majority of consumptive water use. Meanwhile, over 20% of children are in food insecure households aEuro" meaning that they are unsure of where their next meal will come from. Hunger in the U.S. is at the highest level since recording of such data began and continues to rise. In this seminar, we will discuss the complexities of the food system that lead to waste and potential solutions that address hunger while protecting the environment.