U.S . Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan talks about improving local food economics and professional opportunities available for graduates at USDA.

The University hosted a guest lecture by Kathleen Merrigan, named by Time magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People of the World in 2010. According to Nancy Creamer, director of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, N.C. State was first on this year’s list to host the lecture.

The lecture focused mainly on efforts to support farmers and build local food economics.

“We all know that as the world population is rising, the impact of this on nature’s resources like oil, water and food is increasing all the time,” Merrigan said. “We are experiencing acute food shortages today, forcing U.S. government to start stock-piling food in case of crisis.”

Merrigan said the consumption demands are increasing at a very rapid rate.

“Today, one out of every seven people are obese and one out of every three people have type two diabetes. This is a serious matter of concern. I think we can help to reduce these levels by encouraging and increasing supplies of fresh foods in the market,” Merrigan said.

Merrigan discussed some of the novel ideas USDA has to encourage farming as an career.

“Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food, is an initiative started to better connect consumers with local producers,” Merrigan said.

One of the other campaigns started in North Carolina by CEFS is the 10% Campaign, where consumers are encouraged to spend 10 percent of existing food dollars to support North Carolina food producers, businesses and communities.

“Food deserts is a novel concept started in some states where fresh foods are extensively grown locally and sold,” Merrigan said. “But this is not possible everywhere. Cities like Detroit have few or no large scale food markets for the consumers to go and buy fresh food. In such cities, we have started initiatives like Peaches and Green which are basically mobile supermarkets supplying fresh food.”

According to Merrigan, research shows the majority of farmers are aging and few young people are farming. In the future, Merrigan said, this will become a problem.

“Recent statistics show that most of our farmer population is [an] aging population, with [an] average age of 57 years. I believe that youngsters like you all could make a difference and I encourage you all to think about this,” Merrigan said.

Although there are not many younger people entering the farming industry, Merrigan said she believes it is important to talk to the younger generations about farming, Merrigan encourages students to think about internships and other job opportunities available at USDA.

“50 percent of USDA employees are eligible to retire in 2013. We thus have quite a few job opportunities at USDA. You can email for more information on internship opportunities at USDA.Internships@dm.usda.gov or you can also check http://www.USAJOBS.gov for more opportunities. These are opportunities that will help to change our world and make it a better place to live in. I appeal to all of you to think of these opportunities,” Merrigan said.

Rachel Clark, a graduate student in plant biology, attended the lecture.

“The lecture was interesting and really encouraging and I hope more students like me will definitely think of opportunities USDA is offering,” Clark said.

According to Amy Hoffner, a graduate student in crop science, this is a great concept started by USDA.

“This initiative is exciting, encouraging improvements on all the levels like production, consumption and waste management. USDA is providing real opportunities to students, which is a great incentive for students who have their career paths in the direction of agriculture,” Hoffner said.

Merrigan said she had a great time on campus and enjoyed attending the first Campus Farmer’s Market of the season.

“[The farmer’s market] was really great. This is also not my first trip [to] N.C. State — I have been here many times before,” Merrigan said. “I think that students at N.C. State have a keen interest in agricultural science, which is a great plus point. Also, the food services on campus mainly consists of locally grown food, which is good practice to have.”