Kansas State University

Menker to talk tonight on 'Why There Doesn't Need to be a Global Food Crisis'

Submitted by Division of Communications and Marketing

Sara Menker, a native of Ethiopia who quit a prestigious job as a commodities trader on Wall Street to form a company that aims to find solutions to world hunger, will deliver the fifth Henry C. Gardiner Global Food Systems lecture at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 8 in McCain Auditorium.

Menker's talk is titled, "Why there doesn't need to be a global food crisis." Admission is free, but patrons are encouraged to arrive early because the lecture series typically draws very large crowds.

Menker is the founder and chief executive officer of Gro Intelligence, a technology company that is bridging the information gap in agriculture by providing data that can help farmers and others in the agricultural industry determine the most efficient way to grow food in different regions around the world.

Menker says a potential food emergency may not wait until the year 2050, and in fact may happen sometime in the next 10 years.

"It's not that there is not enough food (in the world), it's just that large segments of the population do not have access to food," Menker said of the looming food crisis. "And this is a truly global issue. The world can feed itself, and we can meet the demands of a growing global population, but only if we get smart and address the vast data gaps that exist across the global agriculture industry."

The Henry C. Gardiner Global Food Systems Lecture Series aims to provide science-based education about the global food system. The series allows university students, faculty, staff and Kansas citizens to interact with U.S. and international food industry leaders. Kansas State University and Gardiner Angus Ranch of Ashland, Kan. initiated the lecture in 2015.