Posted: April 26, 2017

Roger Thurow, author, journalist, and senior fellow for global agriculture and food policy of Chicago Council on Global Affairs, visited the International Agriculture and Development 820 course in April. Thurow is interested in topics related to food security, and has devoted effort in bringing awareness to the topic through his books which include "The Last Hunger Season" and most recently, "The First 1,000 Days".

The International Agriculture and Development 820 class read "The First 1,000 Days: A Crucial Time for Mothers and Children--And the World", and invited Roger Thurow to join the class discussion. In the book, Thurow followed several mothers across the world, starting from their pregnancy through the second year of the children's life. He addresses the problems caused by malnutrition and lack of relevant knowledge about the importance of the first thousand days of life.

Thurow vividly illustrates the life and experience of the mothers through engaging accounts, which allows the book to appeal to different audiences to convey the importance of food security during the first thousand days. "It's a really good introduction to the importance of food security issues for people outside of academia," said one student.

In class, Thurow shared several stories that he experienced through following the subjects. This is a valuable experience for the students, because many students will also conduct field work in international locations.

The visit stirred lots of discussion in class, and also brought different aspects into the discussion. "Reading Roger Thurow's book and meeting with him really broadened my view of food security," stated another student. Roger Thurow noted that he does have plans to continue his effort on unveiling important global food security issues to the general public through future works.

INTAD

Address

Melanie Miller Foster
106 Agricultural Administration Building

University Park, PA 16802

INTAD

Address

Melanie Miller Foster
106 Agricultural Administration Building

University Park, PA 16802