Belgian professor Olivier De Schutter has received the ‘James Beard Foundation Leadership Award’ in New York. This prestigious prize rewards individuals who are committed to healthier, safer and more sustainable food.
© UN Photo/John McIlwaine;
Agroecology is Olivier De Shutter's passion. It is a combination of ecological science, sociology and economy to make agriculture more sustainable. According to De Schutter, we should combat world hunger by improving the production of food rather than increasing it.
From 2008 to 2014, Olivier De Schutter was the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food. He is currently Co-Chair of IPES Food, an International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems, and a member of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. In 2013, Olivier De Schutter was awarded the Francqui Prize, the most prestigious Belgian scientific award.
Each year the James Beard Foundation, named in honour of American cookbook author James Beard, presents the James Beard Foundation Awards, often referred to as the Oscars of the food world, to chefs, restaurants, journalists …. Since 2011, the foundation also devotes attention to sustainable food with the James Beard Foundation Leadership Awards. Michelle Obama was one of the previous winners.
