Street News Review - January 2002

Street News

Street News - December 2002

ART MEETS SCIENCE
Dr. Pedro Sanchez of Columbia University¹s Earth Institute
Meets NYC artist & grass roots philanthropist Angela McKenzie

By: Indio
Photo by Andy Oo

One might wonder what on earth could Columbia University¹s Director of Tropical Agriculture, Dr. Pedro Sanchez have in common with Angela McKenzie? In short, both are committed to the alleviation of hunger. McKenzie a talented singer, founded non-profit organization The AMcK Initiative to raise awareness of local hunger issues via the performing arts and Sanchez in his other role as Chairman of the United Nations Task Force on Hunger, will help UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to achieve the UN Millennium Development goal, of reducing world hunger in half by 2015.

At McKenzie¹s request, Sanchez took time to outline some of the current scientific advances in Agronomy and the implementation strategies required to effect such global change. Before coming to New York, Sanchez served as Director General of the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in Nairobi, Kenya from 1991 to 2001. On October 24, 2002, Sanchez was awarded the prestigious World Food Prize in recognition of his pioneering research, that helped transform depleted tropical soils into productive agricultural lands. His years of experience and passion for his work, are definitely an asset to both Columbia and the UN. All his merits have not made Sanchez inaccessible to young hunger activists like McKenzie. She says, “Although my organization is relatively new, it¹s inevitable that we¹ll dare to have global ambitions down the road, so I jumped at the chance to meet Dr. Sanchez because he¹s world class in his field.” She adds, “Not before meeting Dr. Sanchez, have I been so inspired by science and agriculture. His approach to explaining hunger alleviation and the technology behind it, was refreshing for a layperson like me. Furthermore, I was impressed by the respect he showed for the performing arts and I would welcome the opportunity to learn more about his work very soon.”

To read more about Dr. Pedro Sanchez at The Earth Institute of Columbia University and Angela McKenzie at The AMcK Initiative, log into www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu then click on Earth and Environment link and www.theamckinitiative.org respectively.