“Not enough hands, rather than too many mouths, is the bigger challenge to food security in the future.”
Clark University recently spotlighted the impactful work of Geography alum Gustavo Oliveira (PhD ’17) in the latest edition of Questa, the university’s annual research publication. Oliveira, now a professor of Geography at Clark, is featured in the article “How to Feed a Hungry World,” which highlights research aimed at sustaining the planet’s increasingly strained food and water resources. Oliveira, an expert in global agro-industrial trade and food-supply issues, explains that today’s food crisis isn’t about population growth, but rather about urbanization, industrialization, and market forces. His research shows that sustaining global food supplies depends on shifting land use back to local food production and traditional agriculture, ensuring there are enough people engaged in farming, and sustainably managing land and water resources in a changing climate.
Clark Provost John McGee shared this work with UC Berkeley, writing to Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Benjamin Hermalin to call attention to Oliveira’s "innovative, high-impact scholarship." In his letter, McGee also emphasized Oliveira’s deep commitment to involving students in research projects aligned with Clark’s institutional goal of building a more just, sustainable, and humane world.
Congratulations to Professor Oliveira on this well-deserved recognition! Read the article to learn how Oliveira’s work contributes to global efforts to rethink food systems and promote environmental sustainability.