Bringing together farmers, businesses, scientists, policymakers, academics, nonprofits, and consumer activists to discuss important food-related topics that affect both the global food system and society.
The university’s Food Policy Initiatives received a major boost with the appointment in 2024 of Wolfram Schlenker as the inaugural Ray A. Goldberg Professor of the Global Food System.
Wolfram Schlenker
Ray A. Goldberg Professor of the Global Food System
Private and Public, Scientific, Academic, and Consumer Food Policy Group (PAPSAC)
Overview
The Private and Public, Scientific, Academic, and Consumer Food Policy Group (PAPSAC) has been the cornerstone of Harvard’s food policy activities. The initiative was founded in 1993 by Harvard Business School Professor Ray Goldberg, and is now hosted by the Sustainability Science Program. PAPSAC is an off-the-record seminar hosted annually at Harvard Kennedy School that brings together farmers, business people, scientists, policymakers, academics, nonprofits, and consumer activists. The initiative encourages participants to engage in meaningful frank discussions on a wide array of food-related topics.
Key topics
- Global Agricultural Research: Examining the latest advancements and challenges in agriculture worldwide.
- Food Policy: Discussing strategies and policies for improving global food systems.
- Nutrition: Exploring the links between food policy, agricultural practices, and nutritional outcomes.
- Agricultural Technology: Innovations and their implications for sustainability and efficiency in farming.
- Food Safety: Addressing concerns and solutions for keeping the global food supply safe.
- Environmental Impacts: Understanding agriculture's role in environmental change.
Global Food+
Overview
This initiative was founded to provide researchers in the greater Boston area opportunities to share their work on topics of “Global Food+” i.e. economic, health, environmental, cultural and social perspectives on the world food system. The Sustainability Science Program, together with Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, has led the initiative along with co-organizers from MIT, Tufts, and Boston University. For each session, researchers present 5-minute “speed briefs” on the most exciting work related to food that is going on in their labs. Presentations are followed by discussion and networking with researches, students, and attendees from business and government. Each seminar gathering involves about 30 presentations; to date, more than 200 researchers from throughout the greater Boston area have participated.