January’s public program by the Environmental Professionals Network will look at humanity’s balancing act: Producing enough food and energy, improving economies and social conditions, and protecting the environment and biological diversity — all while faced with climate change and, by 2050, possibly 2 billion more people on the planet.
“They’re enormous challenges,” said the network’s coordinator, David Hanselmann, a lecturer in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University.
The network is a statewide professional group based in the college’s School of Environment and Natural Resources.
The program, called “Adaptive, Resilient Land Management: Goals for the 21st Century,” is from 7:15 to 9:40 a.m. Jan. 26 in Ohio State’s Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, 2201 Fred Taylor Drive, Columbus.
Speaking will be:
- Allison Thomson, science and research director at Washington, D.C.-based Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture. The alliance, according to its website, works “to create opportunities across the agricultural supply chain for continuous improvements in productivity, environmental quality and human well-being.”
- Ernie Shea, president and CEO of Lutherville, Maryland-based Solutions from the Land and coordinator of its North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance. The alliance aims to help farmers and foresters understand and adapt to climate change while maintaining their productivity.
Moderating the discussion will be Fred Yoder, a corn, wheat and soybean farmer from Madison County, Ohio, and a past president of the National Corn Growers Association. In 2013, President Obama honored Yoder as a “Champion for Change” for his sustainability and climate change work.
“Agricultural producers, other landowners and our broader society face enormous challenges and opportunities locally, nationally and globally,” Hanselmann said. “With little exaggeration, life itself hinges on our success in these matters.”
Registration for the event is $10 and includes breakfast. The deadline to register is Jan. 22. Details and a link to register are at go.osu.edu/Jan2016EPN.
Contact Hanselmann at hanselmann.3@osu.edu or 614-247-1908 for more information.
Sponsoring the event are the Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association, Ohio Soybean Council, and Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.