Food Studies

Join Yorlis Gabriela Luna, a representative of the Farmworkers’ Association of Nicaragua (Asociación de Trabajadores del Campo - ATC) and the Latin American Institute of Agroecology (IALA Ixem Ulew,) to take a closer look at the agroecology and food sovereignty movement in Nicaragua. Together we’ll discuss the role of Sandinismo and peasant revolutionary thought in Nicaragua, solidarity and transnationalism in agroecology movements, and how it all applies to the Vermont context.

The George Lakey Documentary Film presents the life and work of a nonviolent revolutionary, a deeply spiritual man with a rebel heart, who has been guided in life by his ideal of societal transformation. George Lakey will speak after the film.  

Seth Itzkan, co-founder of Soil4Climate and a resident of Vermont, presented at last year’s COP26 on Climate Change about the role of ruminants in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Seth is an Honorable Maasai Herder and a Regenerative Agriculture Advocate. He will give a presentation to campus, followed by refreshments provided by Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op.

Local producers meet local buyers! Middlebury hosts a gathering to support local procurement and purchasing, as we have done several times in the past.

Viking Economics: Hear author George Lakey describe how Norway overcame a repressive conservative government to become one of the most equitable societies in the world, capable of responding effectively to the threat of climate change.

“The revolution begins with food: Reflections of an organic elder” by Grace Gershuny, author, educator and organic consultant. Today’s ‘good food’ revolution has its roots in the soil of the organic movement. In Organic Revolutionary: A Memoir of the Movement for Real Food, Planetary Healing, and Human Liberation, Grace Gershuny traces the evolution of the organic movement and her experiences as a grassroots organizer that led her to help develop organic standards for USDA.

Informal Student Discussion with Frances Moore Lappe, before her public lecture. Sponsored by: Food Studies, Global Health Minor, Center for Community Engagement, Environmental Affairs, Environmental Studies, Academic Enrichment Fund

Philip Ackerman-Leist will give a presentation based on his recent book, A Precautionary Tale: How One Small Town Banned Pesticides, Preserved Its Food Heritage and Started a Movement, accompanied by film and photos. The presentation will be followed by a reception.

Frances Moore Lappe’ was a pioneer of sustainable food systems, long before current luminaries such as Michael Pollan and Mark Bittman started writing about food. She published the bestseller Diet for a Small Planet in 1971, the first book to point out the destructive impacts of meat production. She has written numerous articles and other books; the latest book is World Hunger: 10 Myths. She will be speaking about the intersections of food democracy, hunger and food sovereignty.

Faculty and staff who are interested in the Food Studies Program are welcome to attend a discussion and update to discuss how to move forward with program development, particularly in light of the recent decision of the Educational Affairs Committee about free-standing minors.