Fall 2026 Harry ’51 and Joshua ’49 Tsujimoto Perspectives in Global Development and the Environment Seminar Series
About the speaker
For more than 30 years, Patrick Webb has been engaged in scholarship, teaching and outreach, advising policymakers, and managing complex multi-country research operations on the ground. He lived 6 years in Africa (Ethiopia, Niger, The Gambia) and continues to work across Africa and Asia on issues relating to food systems transformation, food and nutrition policies, humanitarian responses, and planetary environmental challenges. He holds a PhD in Geography from Birmingham University in England and has been a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society since 1982.
Patrick’s leadership experience at senior levels includes serving as Academic Dean at Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy (where he held the Alexander Macfarlane Professorship on international food and nutrition policy), agency-wide Chief Nutritionist for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Chief of Nutrition for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Rome, Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and Director of multiple US government-supported ‘Feed the Future’ Innovation Labs.
Currently serving on the Board of the Emergency Nutrition Network and of WorldVeg, Patrick was previously a member of the Steering Committee of the High-Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) of the Committee on World Food Security, and a Commissioner for the Eat-Lancet 2.0 commission. He also spent several years as a Member of the Independent Science and Partnership Council (ISPC) of the Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR), and of the World Economic Forum’s Global Futures Council on Food and Agriculture.
In 2024, he was awarded the 'Jean-Pierre Habicht Lifetime Achievements in Global Nutrition Research' Award by the American Society for Nutrition.
Abstract
The 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission Report (EAT-Lancet 2.0) built on the original 2019 framework by integrating food justice, updated planetary boundaries, and advanced economic modeling on policy options. It presents a roadmap for restructuring global food production marketing and consumption to achieve human health and sustainability goals simultaneously. This talk lays out related arguments for why food system transformation is such a critical priority for global development and for the environment; and why it's so challenging to achieve given the countless tradeoffs involved.
While this discussion excludes the notion of corruption and disinterested local governments, Emily argues that if donors; international public and private sector actors, as well as NGOs work more in lock-step with stakeholders on the ground, and are genuinely motivated to do the Right Thing, we can do much more, albeit with increasingly limited aid funding.
About the seminar series
The Harry ’51 & Joshua ’49 Tsujimoto Perspectives in Global Development and the Environment Seminar Series showcases innovative approaches to development with experts from around the globe. Each year, the series attracts online registrants from over 45 countries and more than 350 organizations.
Seminars are held Wednesdays from 12:20-1:10 p.m. Eastern time during the semester in 175 Warren Hall. Students, faculty and the general public are welcome to attend in-person or via Zoom.
The series is co-sponsored by the Sections of Global Development and Natural Resources and the Environment and the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management as part of courses GDEV 4961, AEM 4961, NTRES 4961, GDEV 6960, AEM 6960, and NTRES 6960.
Date & Time
September 16, 2026
12:20 pm - 1:10 pm
Location
More information about this event.
Contact Information
Mariah Doyle-Stephenson
- md2237 [at] cornell.edu
Speaker
Patrick Webb
Departments
Global Development Section
Natural Resources and the Environment Section
Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
Ashley School of Global Development and the Environment
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