Santa Clara University Sustainable Urban Agricultural Systems Summer Class

Santa Clara University is offering a new summer class on sustainable urban agricultural systems from June 20 – July 25, 2013. This class will help students learn practical skills of producing food in the city while tackling broader policy issues related to urban food justice.  The course includes:

• Weekly field trips to Bay Area Farms
• Dynamic guest speakers
• Internship opportunities
• Hands-on workshops in Santa Clara University's garden

This class is for people interested in growing their own food, garden-based education, food justice and healthy cities.

If you are interested or have questions, please feel free to contact Joanna Ahlum (jahlum@scu.edu).  Enrollment information available at:http://www.scu.edu/summer/

Are you a leader passionate about healthy food, farms and kids?

Become a FoodCorps Service Member!

FoodCorps recruits talented leaders for a year of paid public service building healthy school food environments in high-obesity, limited-resource communities.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

FoodCorps service members implement a three-ingredient recipe for healthy kids:

• TEACH children about what healthy food is and where it comes from
• BUILD and tend school gardens 
• BRING quality local food into public school cafeterias

WHERE YOU’LL SERVE

As a service member, you will be placed with one service site for your year-long term. Service sites are community organizations that operate in partnership with one of our twelve to fifteen host sites, statewide organizations that help run FoodCorps in each of the places FoodCorps serves: Arizona, Arkansas, California (pending), Connecticut, Hawai'i (pending), Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey (pending), New Mexico, North Carolina and Oregon. 

Visit WHERE YOU’LL SERVE to learn more about our host sites, their work, the service sites they partner with, and what your service might look like in each location.

WHAT YOU’LL GET

For your year of full-time service, you are eligible to receive the following benefits:

• A $15,000 living allowance
• A $5,550 AmeriCorps Segal Education Award
• Student loan forbearance
• Health insurance
• Partial childcare reimbursements
• Training and mentorship
• Alumni network
• The experience of a lifetime

Explore what FoodCorps has to offer by visiting BENEFITS.

"It feels awesome to serve with a community that wants me to succeed and reach my goals. The connections I have made over the course of this year, nationally and locally, are invaluable - and I know these relationships and networks will guide me and support me in the future." —Kirsten Gerbatsch, service member

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Successful FoodCorps service members:

• Are passionate about building a healthier future for school children
• Are motivated to serve full-time in a limited resource community
• Have experience working in or studying food systems, agriculture, public health, education, community organizing, or public service
• Are seeking an opportunity to gain hands-in experience for their career
• Are committed to working hard in order to make a difference

Additionally, in order to be considered for a FoodCorps service member position, you must:

• Be 18 years or older by the start of service (August 13, 2013)
• Be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or lawful permanent resident of the United States
• Hold a high school diploma, GED or equivalent

To learn more about other qualifications, visit WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR.

APPLY 

The 2013-2014 Service Member Application is now open. Applications will be due by 11:59 pm Eastern Time, March 24th 2013. late applications will not be accepted.

You can read more about our application process here. Please read all of the information on all of these pages before completing your application. When you are ready, the application can be found here.

We will be hosting 3 informational open conference calls to address questions about the process. The dates of the calls are:

• Thursday, January 24 at 2 pm PT / 5 pm ET
• Wednesday, February 13 at 2 pm PT / 5 pm ET
• Tuesday, March 12 at 2 pm PT / 5 pm ET

Dial-in info:

Number: (218) 936-4700
Participant access code: 7904113#

If you have any further questions about FoodCorps recruitment or the service member application process, please visit our FAQs page. If you have other questions not answered within our FAQs, please contactserve@foodcorps.org

WRI Event: Building Climate Smart Agriculture and Resiliency in the Sahel

March 1 2012, 10:00am - 12:00pm

World Resources Institute
10 G Street, NE
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20002

Contact:

• Robert Winterbottom, Director, Ecosystem Services Initiative
  rwinterbottom@wri.org+1 (202) 729-7897

Please RSVP - Discussion on experiences in the Sahel using Climate Smart Agriculture to increase productivity and resiliency including lessons learned from farmer innovations and observed landscape transformations in Niger, Burkina Faso & Mali
This event features leading global experts who will discuss lessons learned from farmer innovations and observed landscape transformations in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali. The speakers will draw on their experiences in the Sahel to explore how to use Climate Smart Agriculture to increase productivity and resiliency.
In the wake of the latest crisis in the Horn of Africa, concerns are mounting about a potential food crisis in the West African Sahel. This event will focus on scaling up interventions to address the root causes of chronic food shortages while strengthening household economies.

SPEAKERS

• Chris Reij, Senior Fellow, WRI; Free University, Netherlands
• Mike McGahuey, Natural Resources Management Specialist, USAID
• Gray Tappan, Remote Sensing Specialist, US Geological Survey
• Emmy Simmons, Board Member, the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa

MODERATORS

• Jerry Glover, Science & Technology Policy Fellow, USAID
• Edward Cameron, Director, International Climate Initiative, WRI

Please RSVP (Registration required)

Seeking Grow Appalachia Coordinator

Grow Appalachia Coordinator

High Rocks seeks a highly-motivated self-starter with agricultural experience and project management background to coordinate the Grow Appalachia program. The Grow Appalachia coordinator will work with 13 local families and organizations to grow as much food as possible. The coordinator will also work closely with High Rocks and the Greenbrier Valley Local Foods Initiative to create a strong network of local foods in the area. This position has variable hours throughout the year depending on the demands of the season.

Additional responsibilities:
         ·    Recruit and manage volunteers
         ·    Supervise AmeriCorps members
         ·    Maintain and cultivate relationships with new growers and potential growers
         ·    Manage grant/project budget
         ·    Evaluate and report on volunteers, grower participation and food volumes produced
         ·    Organize educational workshops

Experience required:
         ·     College graduate or equivalent
         ·     Supervisory experience
         ·     Relevant agricultural experience
         ·     Canning and food preservation experience
         ·     Community organizing and facilitating capabilities
         ·     Ability to use farm machinery (especially a hand-operated tiller)
         ·     Ability to drive a manual transmission truck

What is Grow Appalachia?
The basic purpose of Grow Appalachia is to teach and support the people of Appalachia to grow, preserve and sell their own food and feed themselves and their families. The Grow Appalachia Coordinator will work with first time gardeners, experienced gardeners, and support people to develop market gardens. Visit the Grow Appalachia website for more information.
To Apply:
Send your resume and cover letter to
High Rocks
Attn: Amy Cole
HC 64 Box 438
Hillsboro, WV 24946
OR: Fax:(304) 653-4860
OR: email: amy@highrocks.org

** Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until position is filled **

Apply for FoodCorps!

Are you a leader passionate about healthy food, farms and kids?

Then we want you to be a FoodCorps Service Member!

FoodCorps recruits talented leaders for a year of paid public service building healthy school food environments in high-obesity, limited-resource communities.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

FoodCorps service members implement a three ingredient recipe for healthy kids:

• TEACH children about food and nutrition
• GROW healthy food with kids and communities in school gardens
• CHANGE what's for lunch by connecting farms and schools

WHERE YOU’LL SERVE

As a service member, you will be placed with one service site for your year-long term. Service sites operate under ten host sites, each of which is located in a different state: Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina and Oregon. Pending funding, FoodCorps will expand into Connecticut and Montana for the 2012-2013 service term.

WHAT YOU’LL GET

For your year of full-time service, you are eligible to receive the following benefits:

• A $15,000 living allowance
• A $5,550 AmeriCorps Segal Education Award
• Student loan forbearance
• Health insurance
• Partial childcare reimbursements
• Training and mentorship
• Alumni network
• The experience of a lifetime

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

To be considered for a FoodCorps service member position, you must:

• Be 18 years or older by the start of service (August 13, 2012)
• Be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or lawful permanent resident of the United States
• Hold a high school diploma, GED or equivalent

APPLY NOW
The 2012-2013 Service Member Application is now open. The application will close at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Sunday, March 25, 2012. We recommend that you submit your application prior to the deadline to avoid any technical difficulties. Once the application closes we will NOT accept late applications.

Before beginning your application, please make sure you have read through all of the sections linked to from this page, including the application instructions, APPLICANT FAQs, and WHERE YOU’LL SERVE. If you have additional questions please contact Simone Herbin at serve@foodcorps.org.

Wilson Center Events - January 25

Is a Food Crisis Brewing in the Sahel?

January 25, 2012 // 9:00am — 12:30pm

  

While African nations and the donor community struggle to mitigate famine in the Horn of Africa, concern is growing that drought in the Sahel will trigger a food crisis of comparable proportion in West Africa by the spring of 2012. However, experts caution against misdiagnosing food insecurity in the Sahel, for fear that excessive band-aid treatments of emergency food assistance will squander energy and scarce resources that would be better utilized in treating pockets of severe food shortages and building resiliency in the region. With input from American and African experts on the Sahel, this event will explore the true nature of the emerging crisis in the Sahel and seek to identify effective responses, including regional trade and resilience-building through agricultural development.

To RSVP: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/rsvp?eid=21325&pid=25

Sustainable Solutions for the Planet’s Energy Challenge

January 25, 2012 // 3:00pm — 5:00pm

The environmental challenges of climate change, energy demands, and natural resource loss continue to mount. World population hit seven billion on Halloween and is projected to go to ten billion if not more. The first decade of the 21st century was the warmest in 130 years of recorded global temperatures and 2010 was the warmest year yet recorded. Extinction rates are 1000 times base rates. The Amazon had the greatest drought in recorded history in 2010. Droughts, floods, wildfires, and probably intense tropical storms are becoming more frequent. These challenges call for action at a planetary scale.
 The “Managing Our Planet” seminar series – developed jointly by George Mason University and the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program and Brazil Institute -- addresses planetary scale problems and solutions.

Please RSVP to ecsp@wilsoncenter.org with your name and affiliation.

FAO Report: State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation recently published its first State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture report, which can be found here.

Managing systems at risk 

By 2050, food production is projected to increase by about 70 percent globally and nearly 100 percent in developing countries. This incremental demand for food, together with demand from other competing uses, will place unprecedented pressure on many agricultural production systems across the world. These 'systems at risk' are facing growing competition for land and water resources and they are often constrained by unsustainable agricultural practices. They therefore require particular attention and specific remedial action. 

 

The State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture (SOLAW) analyses a variety of options for overcoming constraints and improving resource management in these areas of heightened risk. In each location, a mix of changes in institutional and policy measures will have to be combined with greater access to technologies for better management of land and water resources. Increased investments; access to novel financing mechanisms; and international cooperation and development assistance will also help overcome these constraints.

 

This first issue of SOLAW, which complements other "State of the world" reports published regularly by FAO, is intended to inform public debate and policy-making at national and international levels.

October 19 Noontime Conversation

Noontime Oct19 Letter

Philosophy talk on Food, Ag & Agrarianism- Wed Oct 5th

2011-2012 SERIES

What Makes Food Good? Three Challenges in Food Ethics a lecture by
Paul B. ThompsonW.K. Kellogg Chair in Agricultural, Food and Community Ethics
Michigan State University

Wednesday, October 5, 2011
3:00pm
Mary Graydon Center 200 (see AU Maps)

The diversity of issues that arise in food ethics will be explored with short discussions of three problems. First, improving agriculture and ending hunger are central to development ethics, but there is a fundamental tension between the interests of farmers and of poor people in urban areas. During the Great Depression, this tension was reflected in the irony of "breadlines knee deep in wheat." Although developed nations like the United States have moved beyond the most basic version of this problem, it is far from clear that our current farm and food policies have truly solved it. Second, there is a growing recognition that American diets are contributing to increased rates of diabetes and heart disease. But how should this phenomenon be viewed from an ethical perspective? Contrary to suggestive scientific results, Americans tend to view the problem narrowly as a personal responsibility of prudence, rather than as a moral issue. Finally, although it has long been realized that food practices vary widely by culture, it is unclear how diverse food cultures should be viewed from the perspective of ethics. Are food choices protected by an individual's "right to choose?" Or do they interpenetrate into cultural identities so deeply that they should be viewed as "cultural resources" worthy of protection and preservation? And what are the implications of viewing food culture in one way rather than another? These three problems will be reviewed briefly to give a general overview of the terrain of food ethics, and concluding remarks will focus on how the issues intersect in food ethics, and on how a program in the bioethics of food might inform policy and public health.

Paul B. Thompson holds the W. K. Kellogg Chair in Agricultural, Food and Community Ethics at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. He formerly held positions in philosophy at Texas A&M University and Purdue University. His research has centered on ethical and philosophical questions associated with agriculture and food, and especially concerning the guidance and development of agricultural technoscience. This research focus has led him to undertake a series of projects on the application of recombinant DNA techniques to agricultural crops and food animals. Thompson published the first booklength philosophical treatment of agricultural biotechnology in 1997 and revised in 2007, and has traveled the world speaking on the subject, delivering invited addresses in Egypt, Thailand, Taiwan, Mexico, Israel and Jamaica, as well as a number of European countries. In addition to philosophical outlets, his work on biotechnology has appeared in technical journals including Plant Physiology, The Journal of Animal Science, Bioscience, andCahiers d’Economie et Sociologie Rurales. He serves on the United States National Research Council’s Agricultural Biotechnology Advisory Council and on the Science and Industry Advisory Committee for Genome Canada. Thompson’s new work focuses on nanotechnology in the agrifood system.

In addition to his research on biotechnology, Thompson has published extensively on the environmental and social significance of agriculture. His 1992 book (with four coauthors) on U.S. agricultural policy, Sacred Cows and Hot Potatoes, was used as a textbook for U.S. Congressional agriculture staff.He is a two time recipient of the American Agricultural Economics Association Award for Excellence in Communication, and in 2010 he was a speaker at the Gustavus Adolphus College’s 46th Nobel Conference on “Making Food Good.” He has also published a number of volumes and papers on the philosophical and cultural significance of farming, notably The Spirit of the Soil: Agriculture and Environmental Ethics (1995) and The Agrarian Roots of Pragmatism (2000). In 2008, two edited collections appeared: What Can Nanotechnology Learn from Biotechnology: Social and Ethical Lessons for Nanoscience from the Debate over Agrifood Biotechnology and GMOs (edited with Ken David) and The Ethics of Intensification: Agricultural Technology and Cultural Change. A new book entitled The Agrarian Vision: Sustainability and Environmental Ethics was published by the University Press of Kentucky in July 2010. Thompson completed his Ph.D. studies on the philosophy of technology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook under the guidance of Don Ihde.

Mid-Atlantic Students Invited to Co-op Convergence 9/30-10/2

Mid-Atlantic Student Food Co-op Convergence

September 30 - October 2, 2011; Philadelphia, PA

Anyone affiliated with a university or college within the Mid-Atlantic region who is interested in food justice, food sustainability or food sovereignty is invited to attend this gathering. The event will be organized in two tracks; one for organizing and starting projects and one for operating established projects. Participants will develop business and accounting skills, gain tools to help effectively recruit and organize students, learn more about the food system and cooperative movement, and collaborate with others in the region.

Food Security & Agriculture Workgroup Event - Tuesday, September 20th

Tue Sep 20, 2011 12:00 PM

Water Resources and Food Security: Meeting the Demands for a Limited Resource


When: Tuesday, September 20, 2011, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Where: Pact, 1828 L Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C.


The SID-Washington Food Security & Agriculture Workgroup (FSAW) is pleased to present, “Water Resources and Food Security: Meeting the Demands for a Limited Resource." In many countries, agriculture is the economic sector accounting for the greatest share of water demand. Competing needs for scarce water resources call for agricultural development strategies that increase affordable and reliable water supplies, while providing incentives to improve efficiencies in water use for agriculture and food production.


During this brown bag lunch session, our panel of experts will provide a broad water resources overview focusing on African river basins and aquifers; the evolution of small-scale irrigation in India; the importance of water to helping smallholder producers increase their competitiveness and productivity and making better use of rainfall through improved soil and water conservation practices; and practical, field-tested approaches that help diversify production, reduce risk, and increase food security and incomes.


Speakers:
Robert Winterbottom, Director of Ecosystem Services, World Resources Institute (WRI)
Jay Kaufman, Senior Vice President, Fintrac, Inc.
Vincent Uhl, Consulting Hydrogeologist, UHL & Associates, Inc.


Moderator:
John Butler, Senior Associate, Water Resources Sector, Tetra Tech


Workgroup Co-Chairs:
Jeffrey Gray, Senior Associate, Agriculture and Economic Growth Sector, Tetra Tech ARD
Gabriel Laizer, Co-Chair, Strategic Partnership and Outreach Coordinator, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations


*Please bring your lunch to enjoy during the presentation.
For more information about FSAW, please visit the Ning site.

Location: Pact, 1828 L Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C.

For more information:

Contact: Jordana Fraider
Phone:  (202) 884-8590
Email:   events@sidw.org

Register for this event: RSVP for the Food Security & Agriculture Workgroup Event, September 20, 2011

Food Justice Series at Busboys and Poets

Food Justice Series 
Thursday September 22, 2011 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Busboys and Poets 14th and V 
Accokeek Foundation in Partnership with the Rural Coalition and National Immigrant Farming Initiative 
Free and Open to All - Suggested Donation $5  

Thursday, September 22, 2011 – The next installment in the popular Food Justice Series will be held at Busboys and Poets on 14th and V St, NW DC. Speakers will lead a lively discussion about building local, just food systems. We will discuss those initiatives that work to bring fresh and local foods into restaurants and communities, urban neighborhoods and institutional settings. We will also discuss those programs that work with under-served and immigrant farmers in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Panelists will include Mapy Alvarez of the National Immigrant Farming Initiative speaking about their partnership with the Accokeek Foundation working on the Immigrant Farmer Incubator Program; Holly Freishtat, Food Policy Director for the Baltimore City Department of Planning; Jeremiah Lowery from Common Good City Farm, and Margaret Morgan-Hubbard as well as Christina Melendez from ECO City Farms in Edmonston, Maryland. The Food Justice Series spotlights the issues that affect food justice on a local and global scale. From the challenges to building local and just food systems to the threat that genetically-modified foods can pose to our environment and our health, this series of four open-to-all events brings together farmers, policymakers, community leaders, and advocates to cultivate insight and conversation about the pressing matters of food justice that each of them witnesses firsthand.

September 20: Improving Food Security by Reducing Post-Harvest Losses

The Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa and Agriculture and Rural Development Department of the World Bank, in collaboration with Abt Associates, Inc. and GrainPro, are pleased to present:

Improving Food Security by Reducing Post-Harvest Losses

September 20, 2011 8:30 am - 1:00 pm

World Bank Main Building, Room MC-2-800 1818 H Street NW Washington, DC 20433

AGENDA

8:30 - Breakfast

9:00 - Introductory Remarks

9:10 - Panel I: Why post-harvest losses matter for food security

• John Lamb, Principal Associate for Agribusiness and Food Security, Abt Associates

• Nancy Morgan, Senior Economist, World Bank

• Allan Jury, Director, US Relations, UN World Food Program

10:00 - Panel II: Leveraging science, technology and innovation to reduce post-harvest losses

• Pradeep Khanna, Associate Chancellor, University Of Illinois, ADM Institute for the Prevention of Post-Harvest Loss

• Phil Villers, President, GrainPro

• James Lowenberg-Deboer, Associate Dean and Director of International Programs in Agriculture at Purdue University

• Martin Gummert, Senior Scientist, Post Harvest Development, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)

11:00 - Panel III: Mainstreaming post-harvest loss reduction in development programming and next steps

• Mark Hawthorne, Agricultural Extension and Market Systems Development Branch, Office of Capacity Building and Development, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)

• Daniel Haileselassie, Africa Continent Manager, GrainPro

• Jacob Maaga, CEO, Africa Commodity Futures Exchange

12:15 - Lunch & Closing Remarks

To register to attend, please click here. Space is limited.