VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – On Thursday, November 7, Dr. Phyllis Johnson will give a presentation entitled “Climate Change and Food Production”. It will be held at the Valley City State University Science Center Auditorium at 7 pm. It is presented by What In The World Is Going On?
This 40 minute presentation will be followed by a time for questions and discussion. The presentation is free and open to the public.
Dr. Johnson’s presentation will focus on how climate change is impacting agriculture and food production and attempt to answer the question—can we feed the world in 2050. These impacts are of particular importance because the United Nations predicts an increase of two billion people in global population by 2050. It is predicted that at least a 50% increase in global food production will be needed to feed that many people.
As the world warms, some food-producing areas will see serious decreases in crop yields and livestock productivity. The increasing incidence of floods, droughts, and other serious weather events will also challenge food production.
More northerly locations will find they can grow crops that were previously not hardy, so where food is produced will shift. North Dakota may see mostly positive impacts, although some crops like canola that require cool temperatures may move farther north. But with the possibility of more rain/moisture, what will be the results?
Dr. Phyllis E. Johnson received her BS and PhD degrees in chemistry from the University of North Dakota. She was the Vice President for Research and Economic Development at the University of North Dakota from 2009-2014. Before that, she spent 18 years as a Senior Executive at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), managing all areas of agricultural research, including 13 years as the Director of the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), the largest and most comprehensive USDA research facility.
She had a research career in human clinical nutrition before moving into management with USDA and has traveled internationally in developing countries. Thus, her career has given her a broad understanding of the food-agriculture system. Dr. Johnson is Immediate Past Chair of the section on Societal Impact of Science and Engineering for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and an elected Fellow of AAAS. She teaches and lectures on global hunger, agriculture, and climate change.
What In The World Is Going On? Is a campus/community organization dedicated to stimulating discussion about current topics of interest in our state and nation. For further information call 701-845-7321. Everyone is invited to the free presentation.
Story & photo submitted to NewsDakota.com