World food and hunger expert Frances Moore Lappé to speak at UPEI January 7

Lappé's talk is one of two in January in the UPEI international women's speaker series. Marathon swimmer and social advocate Kristen Roe will also give a talk at the Eptek Arts and Culture Centre on January 6 at 6 p.m.

Lappé will address the term 'globalization,' what it means and why it is misleading; the continuing tragedy of world hunger and where real solutions lie; and lessons that can be learned from the world's largest grassroots citizen movements, from the foothills of the Himalayas to villages in Bangladesh--movements rarely covered by the media.

A democracy advocate, and world food and hunger expert, Lappé is co-founder of Food First: The Institute for Food and Development Policy; the Small Planet Institute, a research and education network to bring democracy to life; and the Small Planet Fund, which channels resources to democratic social movements worldwide.

She has written or co-written 16 books, including the best-selling Diet for a Small Planet, and, most recently, Getting a Grip: Clarity, Creativity, and Courage in a World Gone Mad, which received the Nautilus Gold/'Best in Small Press' award.

Lappé has received 17 honorary doctorates from distinguished institutions, including the University of Michigan. She received the 2008 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year Award for her impact on the way people all over the world think about food, nutrition and agriculture. She is involved in numerous organizations, including the World Future Council, International Commission on the Future of Food and Agriculture and the National Advisory Council of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Roe will speak about her successful double swim across the Northumberland Strait in the summer of 2008, and about the fundraising campaign, Women Making Waves, a partnership between Farmers Helping Farmers and Roe in support of African women. Donations will be accepted for Women Making Waves. The exhibition will be on display at the Eptek Centre from January 6 to 26.

Other upcoming events include a student symposium on February 5 from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre, and the annual International Development Week fundraising lunch at the Rodd Royalty Inn on February 6 from noon to 2 p.m. Both of these events feature Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, as guest speaker.

The series wraps up with Maude Barlow, national chair of the Council of Canadians, speaking on March 5 at 2:30 p.m. in the Duffy Science Centre's amphitheatre (Room 135).

For information, please visit www.upei.ca/internationalization or call (902) 566-0576.