See the program book (PDF) - American Phytopathological Society

plenary Sessions
Eight renowned speakers address the importance of agriculture
and an efficient and secure food system in improving global
public health. These topics are extremely relevant in today’s
global society and this diverse gathering of industry leaders will
cover many new and exciting approaches in our discipline.
“Agriculture, Food Security, and Public Health: Global
Issues – Global Solutions”
For global health initiatives to be successful in the long term,
there needs to be a secure and affordable safe food and water
system in place. All the medicines in the world can’t cure
starvation. Agriculture is about producing food, feed, and
fiber. Many factors will impact agriculture in the future,
including such things as global climate change, the loss in
plant, animal, and microbe genetic diversity (biodiversity),
and the ever-increasing demand for water. On the other hand,
many scientific breakthroughs in areas such as transgenic
disease, pest-resistant and stress-resistant plants, transgenic
and conventional biofortified food crops, and plant-derived
pharmaceuticals will potentially have huge positive impacts
on food production and public health. While these have great
potential to help alleviate much of the global food and public
health crisis, sadly, many may not be adopted because of the
political structure in place in countries around the world.
Governmental policies also may restrict and actually impede
further research into many critical areas of science. These are
monumental issues to be sure, but not insurmountable. They
are global issues and they will require global solutions.
opening plenary Session
Sunday, July 27 • 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. • Auditorium
8:30-8:45a.m.
Ray Martyn
Professor, Department of Botany and Plant
Pathology, Purdue University, and APS
President.
“Welcome and Introduction –When
Agriculture Fails”
Agriculture is one of the world’s great success stories. Our
ability to grow food and fiber to feed, clothe and shelter almost
PROgRAM HigHligHtS
The Centennial Meeting features an expanded version of our traditional plenary session.
7 billion people is nothing short of remarkable. However,
starvation and malnutrition is still rampant throughout much
of the world. Global agriculture and, in fact, humanity
itself, faces many new challenges. The increasing decline in
the planet’s rich biodiversity is looming large. Global climate
change will negatively impact agriculture in many ways and
the conflict between water for agriculture and water for public
health and sanitation continues to get worse in many areas of
the world. These are global issues and they will require global
solutions. If the developed world is intent upon improving
the public health of hundreds of millions, even billions of
people, a revitalization of, and support for, agriculture must
be a vital ‘first step’ in the process. What we do as agricultural
scientists is paramount and a big piece of the solution. When
agriculture fails, humanity fails. This special Centennial
Plenary Session entitled “Agriculture, Food Security, and
Public Health: Global Issues – Global Solutions” will address
the issues discussed above.
8:45-9:15 a.m.
Peter Raven
President, Missouri Botanical Garden
and the Engelmann Professor of Botany,
Washington University in St. Louis; U.S.
National Academy of Sciences, 1977;
past-president, A.A.A.S., 2002; and U.S.
President’s Council of Advisors on Science
and Technology (Carter administration).
“Biodiversity and Agriculture”
Since the origin of crop agriculture and animal domestication
starting approximately 10,500 years ago, there has been a
steady erosion of biodiversity throughout the world with
some 11% of the land surface devoted to crop agriculture
and another 20% to pasture on natural lands, most of it
unsustainable. Natural biodiversity has decreased markedly in
the face of the spread of this intensive land use. Crop diversity,
in contrast, first expanded and is now decreasing in the face of
commercial-scale agriculture. Where should we be aiming to
preserve biodiversity for the future?
17