In 2025, acute hunger affects 343 million people globally, agricultural trade tensions are escalating, and nutrition-related diseases place a growing burden on public health systems. In light of these challenges, the need for policy-driven discussions has never been more critical.

This one-day student-led symposium on March 28 brings together scholars, policymakers, and industry leaders to Princeton’s campus to discuss the evolving policies shaping nutrition, food security, agricultural trade, and climate resilience. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with leaders in the field and gain insight into solutions aimed at ensuring a resilient future for food and agriculture. 

Schedule

9:30am - Breakfast

10:00am - Opening Remarks - Vice Dean David Wilcove

10:25am - Panel 1: The Trade Winds Shaping Agriculture

Moderator: Silvia Weyerbrock, Lecturer of Economics, School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
Speakers: Darci Vetter, Former Chief Agricultural Negotiator in the Office of US Trade Representative (2014 - 2017); Johan Swinnen, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute; Zach Helder, Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City.

11:15am - Coffee Break

11:30am - Panel 2: Food Security in a Changing Climate

Moderator: Tessa Desmond, Professional Specialist in Sustainable Agriculture and Director of the Seed Farm at Princeton and Co-Leader of the Princeton Food Project, School of Public and International Affairs.
Speakers: Paul Skoczylas, Director for Private Partnership, New York, World Food Programme; David Babson, Executive Vice President of the Climate & Energy Domain, XPRIZE Foundation; David Dayhoff, North America Director of Sustainability & Precision Services for dsm-firmenich Animal Nutrition & Health.

12:15pm - Lunch

1:05pm - Panel 3: U.S. Food and Nutrition Policy

Moderator: Susan Marquis, Charles and Marie Robertson Visiting Professor, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs
Speakers: Cindy Long, Former Deputy Under Secretary, Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Joon Yun, Managing Partner & President, Palo Alto Investors, LLC; Board-Certified Radiologist; Former Clinical Faculty, Stanford University (2000–2006); Philanthropist; Co-Founder, Palo Alto Longevity Prize; Member, President’s Circle, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Jerold Mande - CEO of Nourish Science, Former Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (2009 - 2011).

2:00pm - Closing Address

Participants are warmly invited to join for a related panel event on Emergent Issues in Local Food Security at 4:30 pm in JRR room A17. See event listing for additional details.

Sponsorship of an event does not constitute institutional endorsement of external speakers or views presented.