Meet Our Speakers - Jennifer Clapp

Name: Jennifer Clapp

Title: Canada Research Chair in Global Food Security and Sustainability; and Professor in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo

Q: Tell us a bit about yourself: What made you become interested in the food system?

When I was a graduate student, I became interested in working with the food system from my professor who introduced me to “Hunger and Public Action”. From there I learned about environmental politics, international trade, and financial aspects of the global food system. I find it really interesting how environmental politics, international and financial trade can affect the consequences to people’s right of food.

Q: Tell us a bit about your work: what do you do/research/teach/practice? And how does it relate to or involve the governance of food or food systems?

I am currently part of the high level panel of experts of the Committee of World Food Security which is a scientific group for governing policy that allows me to apply a scientific background in government policies. I am also part of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems. All of these involvements give me the opportunity to focus on the global economy and how it is interrelated with environment and food security. I am doing a fellowship to write on corporate agrochemicals and corporate seeds, which involves policy and law, in that trade law and competition affect the food system. This shows how food policy, and law and economy are related in the governance of the global economy, affecting food security.

Q: What is an ongoing and/or emerging food law and policy issue that you have come across through your work that you feel is important and/or urgent and why? What is at stake?

The need for global coordination, and the competition of policy to ensure that the food system is not taken over by big companies is an issue that is at stake. In order to improve this, we need coordination across different companies from different fields - agricultural, economical, and scientific - in order to support and create more sustainable enterprises.

Q: Can you give us a hint of something you will talk about at the conference?

I will be talking about the impact of COVID-19 on food security, and how international relations have affected the supply chain, the loss in the food market, and how the food system changed. With the pandemic, many problems in the food system arose, such as global recession, which has affected food accessibility globally. The pandemic has also created a discrepancy in food prices in many countries, given their dependency on exports and imports from other countries.

Something else I will be emphasizing is how food security is “multidimensional”, and affected by sustainability, economy, and accessibility.

Q: What advice would you give your younger self?

That it is important to understand and embrace all the connections and opportunities you have in your life, which will open your eyes to new perspectives and ideas. Everything is interrelated even in the food system!