New Director Named for U of G's Food Institute

The University of Guelph’s Food Institute has a new director.

Evan Fraser, a geography professor and Canada Research Chair who examines global food security issues, was named to the position earlier this week.

The institute includes all seven colleges at the U of G, supporting Guelph’s 150 year tradition as Canada’s “food university” by connecting researchers on issues related to food production, safety and security, and the impact food has on the economy, the environment and society.

“It is not only the amount of food we produce but the way we produce food that will be a defining challenge of the next century,” said Fraser in a statement from the university.

“We must also fully understand the ecosystems on which we depend for food. It’s the only way we’ll be able to address the great global challenge of protecting the environment while safely feeding the world’s rising population.”

Fraser led Guelph’s “Feeding Nine Billion” food security project, which aims to build awareness about the challenges with producing food for a growing human population. He also co-authored the book Empires of Food: Feast, Famine and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations.

Check out some of Fraser’s work — episode 1 of the “Feeding Nine Billion” video series on YouTube: