from the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development |
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JAFSCD is in the midst of publishing a collection of commentaries that emerged from the U.S. Agroecology Summit 2023 held in May 2023. The editors of this special section, Antonio Roman-Alcalá, Catherine Horner, and Colin Anderson, hope the collection provides insights into the dynamics of organizing in the U.S. toward agroecology, within research and outside of it.
The special section is sponsored by the USDA ARS-funded Food Systems Research Center at The University of Vermont.
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“Agroecology”—a term used to describe the science, practice, and social movements of sustainable and socially just food systems—has not circulated as much in the so-called United States as it has abroad. But that is changing. The U.S. Agroecology Summit 2023 made it apparent: to advance agroecological research that truly speaks to the term’s vaunted commitment to social transformation, trust first needs to be built between those doing agroecology-related research (in academia) and those living agroecology day to day.
In this collection of commentaries, sourced from participants in the summit but also its outside critics, readers will find various perspectives on this important question of trust-building among researchers and practitioners. Commentaries also address questions of agroecological research (in terms of its content, process, and future). Many also engage debates about the roles of the USDA, academics, social movements, farmers, and food purveyors in bringing about a more agroecological world—and the roles of capitalism, colonialism, and white supremacism in preventing such a world from emerging.
The collection offers points of generative conflict and difficult conversation, which may help move practitioners and researchers alike toward greater alignment via reflective thinking. The commentaries have only been edited for readability, in order to present an authentic diversity of voices. |
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Photo Silvopastoral 3: A perfect example of eco-efficient agriculture, provided by a CIPAV silvo-pastoral system at Reserva Natural El Hatico, familia Molina Durán, near Palmira, Colombia. Pictured is Carlos Hernando Molina.
Photo via Flickr: ©2010CIAT/NeilPalmer | |
In a newly published JAFSCD commentary, Reflections on research agendas in agroecology: In search of a practical guide, authors Ivette Perfecto and John Vandermeer (both at the University of Michigan) ask, "What questions should drive the direction of research in agroecology in the U.S.?" They propose six areas of research, including climate change adaptation and mitigation; understanding the complexity of agroecological systems; and others. They note that for "an effective and truly transformative change, we need to clearly articulate what the old system should be replaced with." Read the entire commentary for free.
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Author Christopher D. Murakami (Chatham University) reflects on the Agroecology Summit with the poem at right. In his commentary, Itadakimasu, ikigai, and wabi-sabi: Poems and reflections on trust after the U.S. Agroecology Summit 2023, he shares, "The third panel of the Summit centered scholars, activists and advocates who . . . have built trusting relationships with farmers and social movements. During the Q and A session, I asked the panel how we might be able to continue to build trust to support relationship-building in the movement for agroecology in North America. The panelists deferred to the audience, and Jonny Bearcub Stiffarm, surrounded by several of her Indigenous sisters, questioned, 'How can I trust you?' This question reverberates in my memory of this event." Read the entire commentary for free.
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Join the National Agricultural Library (NAL) for “Locating Black Stories at the National Agricultural Library” on May 22, 2024, 10:00–11:30 AM EDT. In person attendance is encouraged, but there is a virtual option.
Inaugural NAL Scholar in Residence Dr. Bobby J. Smith II will talk about his experience doing archival research at NAL to recover stories around Black people's historical relationship to agriculture via the USDA. Dr. Lopez Matthews, state archivist and public records administrator for the District of Columbia, will provide commentary. For more information, go here. Register to attend in-person or online here. |
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