Dr. Girish Panicker speaks at the 2014 Mississippi Food Summit and Agricultural Revival

Dr. Girish Panicker speaks at the 2014 Mississippi Food Summit and Agricultural Revival

Dr. Girish K.S. Panicker, associate professor and director of the Center for Conservation Research at Alcorn, delivered a speech at the 2014 Mississippi Food Summit and Agricultural Revival, held Nov. 7-9 in Jackson, Miss.

The second annual statewide gathering was hosted by the Mississippi Sustainable Agriculture Network (MSAN) at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum. The theme of this state conference was “Community, Culture, and Agriculture” and the goal was to educate, inspire and empower.

Panicker’s presentation “Picking, Pruning, and Propagating the Right Perennials” concentrated on blueberries, muscadine grapes and persimmons.

“It was a great opportunity to train the farmers from around the state on the application of simplest propagation techniques on these three highly nutritious medicinal crops,” said Panicker. “Blueberries can prevent urinary infection in women, muscadine can prevent tumor formation in breast, and persimmon can prevent entry of cholesterol into the blood streams from food.”

Panicker is a seasoned professional in the field of sustainable agriculture. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of MSAN.

MSAN is the primary organization in the state of Mississippi concerned with sustainable farming and local food systems. It is a network of farmers, consumers, educators, and activists working together to improve the sustainability of the existing agricultural system in Mississippi.