Hunger and Horticulture conference slated July 30 at OSU
Thursday, July 2, 2015
While some people may take the availability of food for granted, many others around the world are undernourished, including one in four Oklahoma children who endure food insecurity on a daily basis.
In an effort to bring light to this problem, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension is offering the Hunger and Horticulture conference July 30. The conference will take place from 12:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. at the Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center on the OSU campus.
Mike Schnelle, OSU Cooperative Extension floriculture specialist, said the conference is designed for agriculturally minded people who are interested in both domestic and international hunger issues.
“Oklahoma ranks in the top five states in the country for the number of people who are suffering from chronic hunger. The state also ranks 10th in the country for not successfully accessing affordable fresh fruit and vegetables,” Schnelle said. “Globally, about 870 million people are undernourished.”
Specialists from OSU, as well as industry specialists will be on hand to share their expertise. Conference sessions include topics such as disparities related to food insecurity in the United States, improving food security, curbing hunger in youth, collective gardening in community food systems, U.S. and international hunger efforts and gardens for the hungry.
“The issue of food insecurity is far-reaching as much as it’s in our own backyard,” Schnelle said. “More than 22 percent of Americans, which is about 33.5 million people, lived in a household considered food insecure in 2011. More than 31 million children are enrolled in the National School Lunch Program, which provides free and reduced meals through the school system.”
Conference registration must be postmarked by July 21. Registration is $25 and participants are urged to register now as no late registrations or walk-ins will be accepted. Online registration is available at https://secure.touchnet.com/C20271_ustores/web/index.jsp. Select Horticulture/Landscape, then click on Conference Registration and select Hunger and Horticulture Conference. For more information, contact Stephanie Larimer at 405-744-5404 or via email at stephanie.larimer@okstate.edu.