Location: Davis Center, UVM
Registration Open: https://www.uvm.edu/instituteforagroecology/seeding-transformation-global-forum-september-2023.
Follow us to stay informed about this event and other IFA news. Seeding Transformation will convene international scholars, activists, organizers and partners from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, Europe, and other regions of the world. This public half-day conference will explore agroecology as a transformative solution to regenerate the environment, cool the planet, and provide good, healthy food for all. We will also explore new approaches to scaling the practice and use of agroecology in the US and worldwide. The event will be preceded by a smaller pre-conference workshop in the morning, and will be followed by a reception to celebrate the launch of the UVM Institute for Agroecology.
Program **Speakers will be added on an ongoing basis - check back for updates**
1:00 – 1:10 WELCOME Brief introductory remarks will welcome and orient participants to UVM and to the event and set the stage for a critical and engaging set of discussions in the panels that follow. Kirk Dombrowski (UVM Vice President for Research) and Ernesto Mendez, Martha Caswell and Colin Anderson (Forum Hosts and Institute for Agroecology Co-Directors).
1:10 – 1:20 OPENING KEYNOTE Anna Lappé, Executive Director of Global Alliance for the Future of Food, USA.
1:20 – 2:30 Panel Discussion: Big Ideas and Big Breakthroughs Driving Just Transitions in Food Systems The social, ecological and political transformation that is at the heart of agroecology requires significant changes in the way we frame and think about change. In this panel, we will hear about the “big ideas and breakthroughs” that are driving just transitions in food systems globally. Introduced by: Martha Caswell, Associate Director of Community and Learning at the UVM Institute for Agroecology. Confirmed Panelists: Georgina Catacora-Vargas on "Global North-South Relations" (Academic Peasant Unit "Tiahuanacu" of the Bolivian Catholic University / Latin American Scientic Society of Agroecology - SOCLA). Colombia. Blain Snipstal on "Afroecology and Just Transition" (Black Dirt Farming Collective, USA) Michel Pimbert on "Deepening Democracy" (Director. Center for Agroecolgoy, Water and Resilience. Coventry Univeristy, UK) Patty Prelock on "Planetary Health" (Provost, University of Vermont, USA)
2:30 – 4:00 TAKING A POSITION: PUSHING FOR FOOD SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES It is vital that we work together from different positions in the food system and across society if we are going to achieve the transformations we need to create a more just and sustainable food system. In this session, we will hear what is needed to transform food systems from multiple perspectives, including: funders, journalists, business, farmers, social movements and institutions. Each presenter will bring unique stories and strategies that will contribute to a mosaic of transformative potential. Introduced by: Colin Anderson, Associate Director of Research at the UVM Institute for Agroecology. Moderate by: Laura Reily, Business of Food Reporter for the Washington Post. Confirmed Panelists: Katia R. Avilés Vázquez, Director of the Institute for Research and Action in Agroecology (IALA-Puerto Rico). Mamadou Goïta, Member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food), Mali. Jyoti Fernandez, Landworkers' Alliance, UK. Ike Leslie, UVM Extension, Magnetic Fields Farm, USA.
4:00 – 4:30 BREAK 4:30 – 5:45 HOW UNIVERSITIES ARE TRANSFORMING KNOWLEDGE TO TRANSFORM OUR FOOD SYSTEMS Universities are being called upon in partnership with communities, social movements, and others to help drive sustainability transformations. Yet, the traditional academic culture has been part of the problem and is criticized for helping to “lock in” the exploitation of people and nature, including in food systems. This session will focus on how to transform universities and research institutions in ways that normalize, consolidate and drive forward participatory, transdisciplinary research for just transitions in food systems and beyond. Introduced by: Ernesto Mendez, Faculty Director of the UVM Institute for Agroecology. Confirmed Panelists: Helda Morales, Professor. Ecosur, Mexico. Maywa Montengro de Wit, Assistant Professor. University of Santa Cruz, USA. Michelle Fine, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Urban Education and Women’s Studies at the Graduate CUNY. Public Science Project. USA. Jane Maland Cady, Director of Global Collaborative for Resilient Food Systems at the McKnight Foundation. USA. Additional panelist TBA