DANBURY, CONN. — A two-day conference in October convened by the Institute on Science for Global Policy (ISGP) in cooperation with Western Connecticut State University will bring scientists, policy makers and members of the community together at WCSU for dialogue about the wide-ranging social and economic dimensions of sustainable agriculture in the New England region and worldwide.

The ISGP conference on the theme, “Socioeconomic Contexts of Sustainable Agriculture,” will be held on Friday, Oct. 14, and Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016, in the Ballroom of the Campus Center on the university’s Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury. Each daily session will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 5 p.m. Admission will be free and advance registration is required. Members of the public may register by contacting the ISGP at dbaeza@scienceforglobalpolicy.org or (520) 343-8181; registrations also may be made online at http://scienceforglobalpolicy.org/conference/socioeconomic-contexts-of-sustainable-agriculture/.

The opening session of the conference on Oct. 14 will feature presentations by three experts on sustainable agriculture who will address the subject from divergent perspectives in policy position papers prepared specifically for the conference. Following each presentation, invited authorities from the sciences and academia, government, business and industry, and community advocacy groups will participate with the presenters in debate and discussion of various topics raised in their papers. The closing session on Oct. 15 will be devoted to breakout caucus discussions open to all conference participants, with the goal of arriving at consensus recommendations for sustainable agricultural development regionally and globally.

“The conference will not lobby for any particular position or conclusion,” ISGP Associate Director Dr. Sweta Chakraborty observed. “Rather, it will seek to provide citizens with opportunities to rationally and respectfully express their views and challenge the conclusions of internationally recognized scientists and policy experts, with the outcome of identifying common concerns and priorities.”

Experts who will address the conference and their position paper titles are:

• Dr. Laura Lengnick, “Cultivating a Sustainable and Resilient Food Future.” Lengnick, professor of sustainable agriculture at Warren Wilson College and author of “Resilient Agriculture: Cultivating Food Systems for a Changing Climate,” has studied and written extensively about the impact of climate change on agriculture. She served as lead author for a U.S. Department of Agriculture report exploring future climate change effects on American agriculture and strategies for adaptation in the U.S. food system.

• Henry Talmage, “Profitability: The Key to Sustainable Agriculture.” Talmage, who began his agricultural career as greenhouse and nursery manager for his family’s business, has served as executive director of the Connecticut Farm Bureau since 2011 and as vice chairman of the Governor’s Council for Agricultural Development. Previous positions include tenures as president of the Long Island Farm Bureau and executive director of the Connecticut Farmland Trust. Talmage has been an advocate of public policies to promote farmland preservation and private agricultural development in Connecticut.

• Dr. Cristina Tirado, “Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems: Addressing Climate Change While Promoting Health.” Tirado, an adjunct associate professor in the UCLA School of Health who is affiliated with the university’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, has been engaged for the past 20 years in research focusing on sustainable development, climate and environmental change, and food and health issues. Her studies for the United Nations standing committee on nutrition, the Pan American Health Organization and other international organizations have investigated climate change and its impact on food and agricultural systems, strategies for sustainable food production and waste reduction, and “green” development policies for urban environments.

The ISGP conference collaboration with WCSU is the result of a partnership initiated by the Western chapter of the interdisciplinary honor society for science and engineering research, Sigma Xi. WCSU Professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences Dr. Theodora Pinou, president of the WCSU chapter, and Mathematics Department Chair Dr. Stavros Christofi accompanied several Western students who interned as scribes recording debate and discussion notes at a 2015 ISGP climate change conference in New Jersey.

Seventeen Western students enrolled in Pinou’s honors biology class this fall will assume an even wider role in the October conference, participating in organization and hosting of the conference, joining in caucus discussions, and preparing summaries of conference discussions and policy action conclusions for a book to be published by the ISGP.

Pinou observed that WCSU student participants will bring a passion to learn more about the nature and viability of sustainable agriculture, the environmental and economic dimensions of sustainability, differing perspectives on organic and genetically modified foods, water and land conservation issues, and other themes addressed at the conference. Equally important, she said, they will receive a lesson in effective communication by scientists with policy makers and the public, as well as the promotion of respectful dialogue where participants may disagree and still search for common ground to achieve consensus.

“It’s important for people to see the standards of behavior when people disagree,” Pinou said. “Disagreement should be embraced because that’s how solutions happen, by discussing all sides of a question so that we can arrive at compromise and consensus. This conference is an example of how we talk to each other civilly, admit when we have misconceptions, and set priorities for action based on everyone’s perspective.”

While conference participants will debate options for policy action to support sustainable agricultural development, Pinou noted that the more immediate goal is to provide a forum for scientists to communicate directly with the public and thus enhance public understanding of the socioeconomic issues surrounding sustainable agriculture.

“The first step in that discussion is to find out if government policy action is even necessary,” she said. “You come to the realization that when the government gets involved, diverse perspectives on the issue get buried in the political debate. Maybe we need to have more conversations like this because, if we start talking civilly to each other, you may not need the government to get involved.”

Dr. George Atkinson, ISGP executive director and founder, will serve as moderator for the conference. In addition to Pinou and Christofi, Western faculty members who will participate in the sessions include Dr. Rob Whittemore, professor of anthropology; Dr. Mitch Wagener, professor of biological and environmental sciences; and Dr. Jean Kreizinger, professor emerita of biological and environmental sciences. Pinou emphasized that conference organizers are seeking broad-based community participation from all sectors including education, business, agriculture, government and the general public.

Planned in concert with the conference, the Jane Goodall Center for Excellence in Environmental Studies at WCSU will sponsor a dinner prepared by Sodexo catering chefs from the produce yielded by the Jane Goodall Permaculture Garden on the university’s Midtown campus in Danbury. The dinner will be from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14, in the Ballroom at the Campus Center on the university’s Westside campus. Reservations at a price of $50 per guest may be made by accessing the “Giving” page of the Jane Goodall Center website at https://www.wcsu.edu/goodall/givenow/default.asp. Proceeds from ticket sales and free-will donations will support the maintenance and cultivation of the Permaculture Garden, which also provides fresh vegetables and fruits for Sodexo and for food pantries and kitchens in the Danbury Food Collaborative.

For more information about attending the sustainable agriculture conference at WCSU, contact the ISGP at dbaeza@scienceforglobalpolicy.org.

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