Dr. Gregg BeVier, senior program officer of agricultural development for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will present the Distinguished Lecture, "Bringing Prosperity to the Smallholder African Farmer through Livestock," during the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine’s 37th annual Allen D. Leman Swine Conference. The free lecture is open to the public and will be held Tuesday, September 21, at noon at Saint Paul RiverCentre. For more information and to register for the event go to http://www.cvm.umn.edu/vetmedce/events/adl/bevier/home.html.
Some of the issues surrounding world hunger, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, involve the development of capable and sustainable food systems within the context of animal welfare, ecosystem health, sustainability, cost, and One Health–an international effort to forge collaborations between physicians, veterinarians, and other health-related disciplines. "Food-animal veterinarians are well-trained and capable of helping to put in place food systems to feed hungry people," BeVier says.
BeVier, an accomplished senior executive with more than 27 years experience in global agribusiness, will discuss world poverty and hunger, solutions to hunger, and world food systems in the context of business case studies. Agriculture accounts for about two-thirds of employment and one-third of gross domestic product in sub-Saharan Africa. In South Asia, the rural poverty rate is still about 40 percent. Almost no country has managed a rapid rise from poverty without increasing its agricultural productivity.
One of the international swine community’s premier events, the Allen D. Leman Swine Conference will be held September 18-21. The Distinguished Lecture is new to the conference. Each year, the Leman conference draws swine veterinarians, producers, research scientists, industry experts, government officials, and leading producers from around the world. In addition to two full days of presentations and seminars on topics ranging from swine diseases to production to consumer issues, the conference will include a two-day pre-conference program, trade show exhibits, and scientific poster presentations.
Prior to joining the Gates Foundation in 2009, BeVier had 27 years of experience as a business executive, managing an international genetics business (PIC), an integrated livestock operation (Premium Standard Farms), and a division of a global animal health business for Merial. He earned his D.V.M. and M.B.A. from the University of Illinois, received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, and is a member of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians and a lifetime member of the American Veterinary Medicine Association. BeVier presented the Howard Dunne Memorial Lecture to the American Association of Swine Veterinarians in March of 2006. He has authored a number of articles in journals and proceedings and co-authored several book chapters, all related to the area of swine reproductive physiology.
For more information or to register for the conference, visit http://www.lemanswineconference.org.