Professor Jacob Van Etten, an expert on agricultural diversity, at the National Geographic Store in Madrid

At National Geographic, Madrid Store & streamed online: Unlocking agriculture’s past to feed the future world.

Date: Thursday, July 28th at 17.00 hours . Place: National Geographic Store at Gran Via 74, Madrid & your computer. The event will be transmitted via online streaming for those of you that are not in Madrid. Registration: Click here if you are attending in Madrid or here if you will attend virtualy. The event will be transmitted via online streaming for those of you that are not in Madrid.

Speaker:

Jacob Van Etten, Dean of IE School of Biology

Content: The July 2011 issue of National Geographic features the article “How heirloom varieties can feed the world”, telling the fascinating story of agricultural diversity and its role in global food security. In a talk at the National Geographic store in Madrid, Dr Jacob van Etten, a geographer and an expert on agricultural diversity, will give his perspective on agricultural diversity.

Dr Van Etten works with archaeologists and geneticists to unravel the origins of agriculture and crops. He will explain how this work produces insights that are crucial for the future of agriculture in a world of climate change.

About 12,000 years ago, people started to domesticate wild plants and animals, slowly transforming them into crops and livestock.Over the next millennia, they created an enormously rich array of varieties and breeds, adapting them to diverse environments. In recent times, modern science has helped to increase agricultural production. But something hasn´t changed: we still depend on the same plant and animal species that the first farmers decided to use and develop further. In the coming decades, there will be much pressure on agriculture to produce more, while adapting to a harsher climate. To achieve this, breeders rely on the diversity of wild plants and ancient crop varieties and livestock breeds. In his talk, Dr Jacob van Etten, professor and researcher at IE University, will explain how a better understanding of the prehistory of agriculture helps us to face the future challenges of food production.

If you are unable to join this conference but wish to be kept informed of future open conferences, or for any other inquiry, please contact us by email at admissions.biology@ie.edu