UC Davis, Auburn partner to host virtual Universities Fighting World Hunger summit

The University of California, Davis’ World Food Center will co-host the virtual 2021 summit of Universities Fighting World Hunger, alongside the University of California Global Food Initiative and the Nutrition Policy Institute, University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, in partnership with the Hunger Solutions Institute at Auburn University.

Under the theme, “One Health. One Planet.,” the summit will take place on March 25 and 26.

This year’s summit is the 16th annual event held by UFWH, but is the first to be hosted by the University of California and on the West Coast. With a focus on involving students, the virtual summit will consist of keynote speeches, presentations and panel discussions from experts across the United States who will speak to a broad array of topics covering human health, the planet and their inherent connectivity.

The goal of the summit is to bring together current and future leaders to see a world without hunger. Students, administrators, faculty, staff and community partners will network and share ideas that lead to actions and impact at the campus, community and global levels.

UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May will give the summit’s opening remarks and UC President Michael Drake will share his thoughts on the power of student voices to affect change. Keynote speakers include:

• William Dietz, director of Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness, George Washington University

• Dr. Rattan Lal, winner of the 2020 World Food Prize for developing and mainstreaming a soil-centric approach to increasing food production that restores and conserves natural resources and mitigates climate change

• Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development, Columbia University’s Earth Institute

Universities Fighting World Hunger is a global higher education movement focused on educating, mobilizing and organizing students, faculty and administrators in the war against hunger. In 2004, Auburn accepted an invitation to partner with the United Nations World Food Programme in the fight against hunger, one of the world’s most pressing global issues. Inspired by this partnership, Universities Fighting World Hunger was launched in 2006. This coalition is now led by the Hunger Solutions Institute at Auburn and has expanded to nearly 300 campuses worldwide. 

Registration for the 2021 summit can be accessed here. The event is free of charge.