{"id":490,"date":"2019-07-17T18:18:25","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:18:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wcsu.wpengine.com\/news-archives\/isgp-joins-with-wcsu-to-present-sustainable-agriculture-conference\/"},"modified":"2019-07-17T18:18:25","modified_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:18:25","slug":"isgp-joins-with-wcsu-to-present-sustainable-agriculture-conference","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/isgp-joins-with-wcsu-to-present-sustainable-agriculture-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"WCSU 2016 &#8211; ISGP Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"content\">&#013;<\/p>\n<div id=\"sharingTools\"><!-- #include virtual=\"\/include\/sharingtools.inc\" --><\/div>\n<p>&#013;<br \/>\n            &#013;<\/p>\n<p><strong>DANBURY, CONN. <\/strong>\u2014 A two-day conference in October convened by the <a href=\"http:\/\/scienceforglobalpolicy.org\/\">Institute on Science for Global  Policy<\/a> (ISGP) in cooperation with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/\">Western  Connecticut State University<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n<p>&#013;<\/p>\n<p>The ISGP conference on the theme, \u201cSocioeconomic Contexts of  Sustainable Agriculture,\u201d will be held on <strong>Friday, Oct. 14, and Saturday, Oct.  15, 2016<\/strong>, in the Ballroom of the Campus Center on the university\u2019s 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 <a href=\"mailto:dbaeza@scienceforglobalpolicy.org\">dbaeza@scienceforglobalpolicy.org<\/a> or (520) 343-8181; registrations also may be made online at <a href=\"http:\/\/scienceforglobalpolicy.org\/conference\/socioeconomic-contexts-of-sustainable-agriculture\/\">http:\/\/scienceforglobalpolicy.org\/conference\/socioeconomic-contexts-of-sustainable-agriculture\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#013;<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>&#013;<br \/>\n  \u201cThe conference will not lobby for any particular position  or conclusion,\u201d ISGP Associate Director Dr. Sweta Chakraborty observed.  \u201cRather, 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#013;<\/p>\n<p>Experts who will address the conference and their position  paper titles are:<\/p>\n<p>&#013;<\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.warren-wilson.edu\/news\/resilient-agriculture-with-professor-laura-lengnick\">Dr.       Laura Lengnick,<\/a> \u201cCultivating a Sustainable and Resilient Food Future.\u201d       Lengnick, professor of sustainable agriculture at Warren Wilson College       and author of \u201cResilient Agriculture: Cultivating Food Systems for a       Changing Climate,\u201d 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.<\/li>\n<p>&#013;\n    <\/ul>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfba.org\/news.htm?id=owtcggrg\">Henry Talmage,<\/a> \u201cProfitability: The Key to Sustainable Agriculture.\u201d Talmage, who began       his agricultural career as greenhouse and nursery manager for his family\u2019s       business, has served as executive director of the Connecticut Farm Bureau since       2011 and as vice chairman of the Governor\u2019s 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.<\/li>\n<p>&#013;\n  <\/ul>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.environment.ucla.edu\/people\/cristina-tirado\">Dr. Cristina       Tirado,<\/a> \u201cSustainable and Healthy Food Systems: Addressing Climate       Change While Promoting Health.\u201d Tirado, an adjunct associate professor in       the UCLA School of Health who is affiliated with the university\u2019s 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 \u201cgreen\u201d       development policies for urban environments. <\/li>\n<p>&#013;\n    <\/ul>\n<p>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, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sigmaxi.org\/\">Sigma  Xi.<\/a> WCSU Professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences <a href=\"http:\/\/people.wcsu.edu\/pinout\/\">Dr. Theodora Pinou<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n<p>&#013;<\/p>\n<p>Seventeen Western students enrolled in Pinou\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>&#013;<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>&#013;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s important for people to see the standards of behavior  when people disagree,\u201d Pinou said. \u201cDisagreement should be embraced because that\u2019s  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\u2019s perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#013;<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>&#013;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe first step in that discussion is to find out if  government policy action is even necessary,\u201d she said. \u201cYou 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.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>&#013;<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>&#013;<\/p>\n<p>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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/goodall\/permculture.asp\">Jane Goodall Permaculture  Garden<\/a> on the university\u2019s 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\u2019s Westside campus. Reservations at a price of $50 per guest may  be made by accessing the \u201cGiving\u201d page of the Jane Goodall Center website at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/goodall\/givenow\/default.asp\">https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/goodall\/givenow\/default.asp<\/a>.  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.<\/p>\n<p>&#013;<\/p>\n<p>For more information about attending the sustainable  agriculture conference at WCSU, contact the ISGP at <a href=\"mailto:dbaeza@scienceforglobalpolicy.org\">dbaeza@scienceforglobalpolicy.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#013;<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#013;<\/p>\n<p><em>Western Connecticut State University offers  outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse  university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment  that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut  and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the  characteristics of New England\u2019s best small private universities. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>&#013;<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p>&#013;<\/p>\n<div id=\"facebookShare\"><!-- #include virtual=\"\/include\/facebookshare.inc\" --><\/div>\n<p>&#013;\n        <\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#013; &#013; &#013; DANBURY, CONN. \u2014 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 &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-490","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=490"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/490\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}