Gardiner Global Food Systems conference, lecture slated Oct. 7

Scientist Peer Ederer to speak on the role of livestock in a global society

At a glance: Registration for the first-ever Henry C. Gardiner Global Food Systems conference – which precedes an annual lecture by the same name and now in its 10th year – is still open, but only a few days remain until the Oct. 7 event in Manhattan.

More information: Henry C. Gardiner Global Food Systems lecture series

Photo: Mike Johanns | Craig Gundersen | Peer Ederer

Related: Registration, Henry C. Gardiner Global Food Systems conference

Oct. 1, 2024

By Pat Melgares, K-State Research and Extension news service

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Registration for the first-ever Henry C. Gardiner Global Food Systems conference – which precedes an annual lecture by the same name and now in its 10th year – is still open, but only a few days remain until the Oct. 7 event in Manhattan.

At right: Peer Ederer | Download this photo

Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and U.S. Senator Mike Johanns highlights a packed agenda for the half-day Henry C. Gardiner Global Food Systems conference, while scientist Peer Ederer is slated to give a talk later that evening on the role of livestock in a global society.

The half-day conference is open to the public. In addition to Johanns, the event features Craig Gundersen, the Snee Family Endowed Chair at the Baylor University Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, whose research concentrates on the causes and consequences of food insecurity in the world.

The conference will take place in the K-State Alumni Building from noon to 4 p.m. The full agenda for the conference is available online.

Ederer, founder of an international company named GOALSciences, will give a talk titled ‘Scientific Evidence Behind the Role of Livestock and Meat Production in a Global Society,’ beginning at 7 p.m. in K-State’s McCain Auditorium. Admission is free.

Ederer has been involved in scientific research in cooperation with leading universities around the world for more than two decades. In 2020, he formed GOALSciences – which stands for the Global Observatory of Accurate Livestock Sciences – to encourage accurate scientific data regarding livestock production around the world.

In 2022, Ederer was a driving force in developing the Dublin Declaration, a report drafted “to give voice to the many scientists around the world who research diligently, honestly and successfully in the various disciplines in order to achieve a balanced view of the future of animal agriculture.”

As of May, 1,204 scientists have signed their support for that document.

“The Dublin Declaration tried to achieve three things,” Ederer said. “First of all, as scientists, we wanted to ensure that when we talk about livestock, we are talking from all of its many perspectives; three of those perspectives are nutrition; environment and ecology; and then society and ethics.”

Mark Gardiner, son of Henry who helps to run the family-owned ranch, said the lecture series was established to facilitate in-depth discussions on the world’s food challenges.

“Each year, as we’ve met to select a presenter (for the evening lecture), the discussion is much more comprehensive than simply inviting an academic to present research,” Mark Gardiner said. “The Global Food Systems initiative is an invitation to embrace the global challenges beyond agricultural production to ensure that all of civilization has access to food.”

Noted agricultural economist and industry consultant Nevil Speer will moderate the afternoon sessions with Johanns and Gunderson, as well as the evening lecture with Ederer. Audience questions will be encouraged.

“Attendees to these events will be encouraged to think outside of their comfort zone,” Gardiner said. “We are fortunate in the United States to be able to choose any supermarket or neighborhood store, and know that we have choices and that the shelves will be stocked with safe, nutritious and relatively affordable food.”

“But it’s important to understand the social pressures related to food access. It’s also critical that we understand the barriers to food production and global access.”

Kansas State University established the Henry C. Gardiner Global Food Systems lecture series to provide science-based education about world food issues. The series allows students, faculty, staff and Kansas citizens to interact with U.S. and international food industry leaders on topics of current interest.

The lecture series is funded by the Gardiner family of Ashland, Kan. Henry C. Gardiner, who passed away just days before the first lecture in 2015, was known as a visionary leader who dedicated his career to improving the beef industry through science and technology.

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