"Food and..." Speakers Series

Florence Reed

Food and Sustainability: Farming as if the Future Matters
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Escondido Theatre, SUB, 5:30 p.m.
Co-sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research

Climate change and loss of biodiversity threaten the very existence of the human race, with the world's predominant farming systems contributing significantly to both crises. While professors and policymakers in ivory towers study, debate, and try to forge agreements, campesinos with little money or education are stabilizing the climate, bringing biodiversity back to degraded lands, and feeding the world. Meet some of these unsung heroes and learn how millions more could join their ranks to become the cornerstone of environmental, economic, and social sustainability.

BIO
Award-winning thought leader and innovative practitioner Florence Reed believes that when people work together, things can change for the better. After serving in the Peace Corps in Panama in the 1990s, Reed founded Sustainable Harvest International, a nonprofit organization that preserves the environment by partnering with farming families to increase well-being through sustainable farming. In recent years Reed has enjoyed being a delegate to the Opportunity Collaboration and Environmental Laureates Convention, as well as a member of advisory committees for the National Peace Corps Association and U.S. Global Leadership Coalition.