Jason Clay, senior vice president, World Wildlife Fund the world's leading conservation organization, will present "Feeding the People and Maintaining the Planet: Meeting the Challenge by 2050," at 5:30, Thursday, April 22, in 147 Communications Arts & Sciences Building. Clay's presentation coincides with Earth Day.

The WWF's Living Planet Index suggests that the Earth's capacity is currently exceeded 1.3 times. Producing food has the largest impact of any human activity. In order to maintain the biodiversity and ecosystem functions, estimates suggest that we will need to produce twice as many calories on the same amount of land we use today.

In addition to his position as WWF's senior vice president of market transformation, Jason Clay manages the WWF Network's private sector advisory board and led the development of the foundations' private sector engagement strategy. He is a leader within WWF and the NGO (non-governmental organization) community on identifying global trends and issues as well as supply chain management.

Clay has run a family farm, taught at Harvard and Yale, worked in the U.S. Department of Agriculture and spent more than 25 years working with human rights and environmental organizations. He earned a doctoral degree from Cornell University in anthropology and international agriculture. Clay is the author of more than 250 articles and 15 books on topics of environment, agriculture, aquaculture and poverty alleviation.

To reserve a spot for the Clay lecture, please RSVP to Jennifer Patterson at [email protected] or 517-355-4794.

Clay's visit is part of an ongoing program about Our Food Future sponsored by the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Sustainable Michigan Endowed Project at Michigan State University  and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

The series includes speakers who will share their views on issues related to what we eat, the challenge of feeding a global community and the role of scientific agriculture in our society.

Prior to these events, the CANR sponsored a student film festival and presentations by Jeffrey N. Simmons, President, Elanco Animal Health; Charlie Arnot, founder CMA; a conversation with food writer Michael Pollan; and Richard Bawden, Ph.D., a fellow and director of the Systemic Development Institute, and a professor emeritus at the University of Western Sydney.