The U. of I. main Quad is a next stop on a nationwide tour of HungerU – a mobile exhibit to raise awareness of nutrition and food security issues. HungerU will be on the north end of the Quad from 9 am. to 4 p.m. Nov. 4. Visitors can pedal tractors around the Quad and participate in events to win prizes. The interactive games and displays provide information about the significance of modern agriculture and how it affects the world’s food crisis and the state of food security in more than 100 countries.
Lulu Rodriguez, the director of the Agricultural Communications Program under the joint auspices of the College of Agriculural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and the College of Media, said HungerU’s visit will not only spark conversations about how today’s farmers are helping feed a hungry world, but it also will educate about the critical role modern agriculture plays every day in putting food on the table.
Agricultural communications is a specialization within the field of communications in which majors develop technical expertise and hone skills that enable them to communicate about increasingly complex issues related to food, agriculture, energy, the environment and natural resources and related policy.
“In Ag Comm courses at U. of I., students explore some of the most controversial and newsworthy issues of our time – GMOs, water quality and access, climate change, antibiotic usage, food labeling and more,” said agricultural communications instructor Leia Kedem. “HungerU’s visit to campus will be a great opportunity for students and the general public to learn more about today’s critical food issues.”
More information about HungerU is available online, including a complete list of sponsors. Information about the Agricultural Communications Program is available online.
