Contact: Maridith Geuder
Mark E. Keenum, president of Mississippi State University, will officially establish ties with the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization Friday [Nov. 5] to address world hunger and poverty.
Keenum and Daniel Gustafson, the FAO liaison for North America, will sign a memorandum of understanding in Allen Hall, Room 611, at 9 a.m., that lays the foundation for collaborations focusing most immediately on food safety and nutrition. Other areas addressed in the agreement are agriculture, poverty issues relating to children, and environmental sustainability.
A former undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Keenum's signature on the document comes after months of dialogue between MSU and the FAO, which began when he visited with agency representatives in Rome this past summer. He also was tapped to lead food aid and capacity discussions at the International Food Aid and Development Conference held in August.
"As a land-grant institution, Mississippi State has a long history of research and education to advance capacity development," Keenum said. "We are well positioned to be in the forefront of developments that can reduce hunger and help other nations improve the response to needs within their own borders."