The Columbia University Earth Institute, School of International and Public Affairs, Center for Agriculture and Food Security, and the Columbia Water Center will present the third annual Forum on Sustainable Agriculture. Our series addresses how the agriculture sector is confronting the challenge of feeding a growing and increasingly affluent population while improving environmental and social performance and contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Profiles of the 2015 and 2016 forums can be viewed at http://eices.columbia.edu/events/past-events/2016-forum-on-sustainable-agriculture/ and http://eices.columbia.edu/events/past-events/.
For 2017, we will focus on small scale farming operations and other market participants contributing to the sustainability of local food systems, serving local, regional and in some cases national markets. We will explore how these players are improving land stewardship, producing nutritious crops and value-added products, revitalizing rural economies and facilitating distribution to urban and suburban markets. We will address the challenges to scaling up sustainable agriculture beyond what is now a relatively small percentage of the agricultural market. Finally, we will profile the role of Columbia University in advancing the critically important transition toward a more healthful and sustainable food system and seek input on how to best apply our capabilities to this end.
Moderator: Jeffrey Potent, Adjunct Professor, Columbia University Earth Institute and the School of International and Public Affairs;
Speakers:
1. Michael Kinstlick, CEO, Coopersea Distillery in Ulster County, New York
2. Paul Helgeson, former sustainability manager, GNP Company, a regional poultry processor and distributer located in St. Cloud, Minnesota
3. Dr. Ruth DeFries, Denning Professor of Sustainable Development, The Earth Institute, Columbia University
