Dr. Vivian Valencia is looking for presenters to join ICCB 2017 symposium (abstract below). If you are interested, contact her at vivi...@umich.edu
International Conference for Conservation Biology (ICCB) 2017 July 23-27, 2017 in Cartagena, Colombia http://conbio.org/mini-sites/iccb-2017 Symposium: Agrobiodiversity, food security, and nutrition Organizer: Dr. Vivian Valencia (University of Michigan) Agrobiodiversity—the biological diversity in plant and animal species grown and raised in farms—is essential for food security and nutrition through its influence on food production and diets, and the ecosystem services it delivers to support agricultural production. The nutritional and livelihood benefits of biodiverse agricultural systems are one way of achieving food security. The dominant focus of agricultural research and policy-making on increasing yields has overlooked nutrition outcomes as well as the ecological consequences of industrial agriculture. The challenge of designing nutrition- sensitive agricultural systems, which go beyond the dominant focus on yields and calories, and that follow environmental sustainability principles will require close collaboration between scientists and practitioners in the fields of ecology, agriculture, and nutrition. This session brings together researchers examining the role of agrobiodiversity in underpinning both nutritious diets and environmentally sustainable agricultural systems. The aim is to showcase empirical and theoretical insights to elucidate the pathways by which agrobiodiversity supports food security and nutrition. The discussion aims at rethinking our agricultural systems to design nutritious and sustainable food systems. Four to five talks are planned to capture how agricultural biodiversity influences diet quality and food security; agrobiodiversity-dietary diversity relationship across spatial and temporal scales; new methodologies and metrics to assess nutrition outputs of agricultural systems; the role of gender equity in mediating the relationship between agricultural diversity and nutrition; urban agrobiodiversity and food security; sustainable diets and agricultural biodiversity; indigenous knowledge, wild edibles, and nutrition; markets and policies that promote agrobiodiversity and impacts on nutrition and food security. Please submit abstracts of 250 words or less to Vivian Valencia (vivi...@umich.edu) *by December 7th, 2016.*
