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Events and Speakers

Dr. Monica White posing for a photo with two graduate students
Dr. Monica White after being interviewed by Community Change Collaborative graduate student, Nicole Nunoo and Lara Nagle, the Community-Based Learning Projects Manager at the VT Institute for Policy and Governance. Photo Credit: Trustees Without Borders.

Below is a list of upcoming and recent events that are either directly or indirectly related to the work being done by the Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation. 

If you would like to share related events, please send an email including the event title; dates; a short summary; and any flyers, attachments, or hotlinks to Katie Trozzo.

Upcoming Events

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    Roundtable Discussion with Varkey George , article

    In coordination with the Global Education Office, the VT Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation is hosting a roundtable discussion with scholar and international development practitioner, Varkey George, founder of Oshun South Africa. Well-known for his public scholarship, study abroad programming, and community development initiatives across South Africa, Varkey’s interests focus on global citizenship, poverty alleviation, and social entrepreneurship with partners worldwide. Through Oshun South Africa, Varkey recently collaborated with Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to hold an winter session experimental learning study abroad program in South Africa. All graduate students and faculty are welcome to join Varkey George in a roundtable discussion hosted by the Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation to be held in the GLC on April 3rd, 12 to 1:30 pm. Lunchtime refreshments will be provided. To confirm your participation, please complete RSVP form: https://forms.office.com/r/3XBF5fZAi2. If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact David Smilnak at davids21@vt.edu 540-231-4582 during regular business hours at least 10 days prior to the event. Email davids21@vt.edu for details. Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments. Its programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, military status, or any other basis protected by law.

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    Sustainability and Agroecology in South Africa: Reflections on Community-Based Service Learning , article

    In this session, students and faculty will reflect on their recent experience participating and leading an international experiential learning opportunity to South Africa focusing on the interface of agroecology, food security, and sustainable development. The session will discuss the interdisciplinary and participatory nature of the course and how the unique, community-partner course design provided opportunities for critical exploration of the realities of urban and rural food security and land use in South Africa. Student presenters will also reflect on their experience working with community partners and their specific projects throughout the semester-long course, and their perceptions after visiting each community partners’ projects.

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    Amplifying Indigenous Women's Perspectives for Soil and Water , article

    Join for a day at Oatlands to support healthy soils and water by bringing our circles together and amplifying Indigenous perspectives. We will hear from three Indigenous women leaders, Dr. Lyla June Johnston, Rene’ Locklear White, and Victoria Persinger Ferguson, who will share about Indigenous land management and foodways that support soil and water health. Each speaker will present their work and then they will engage in dialogue with one another and the audience, in a cross cultural exploration. Family friendly activities and networking will follow with educational and resource booths on soil and water stewardship available to explore.

Recent Events

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    Preserving and Reviving Yesá Culture through Food, Language, and Sacred Places , article

    The presentation will discuss how a movement of cultural revitalization began with ancestral seeds and evolved to bring about a resurgence of traditional food practices and lifeways that have fostered Yesá community identity and belonging through language and cultural learning. Yesá refers to “the people” of Eastern Siouan communities descended from the Monacan Alliance, whose ancestral territories spanned throughout the Appalachian piedmont, ridge and valley, and mountains from the falls lines in Richmond, Virginia, west into West Virginia and south into North Carolina. The talk will provide both a historical perspective of Yesá food practices and how they shaped the landscapes of this region as well as examine the current experiences of Yesá communities that are fighting to reclaim and protect sacred places, seeds, and the traditions that connect them to their ancestral homelands for future generations.

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    Responsible Innovation for Climate-Smart Agriculture: Cases from the U.S. and South Asia , article

    Responsible innovation can be helpful in the realm of developing climate-smart farming tools. However, to achieve the benefits of these innovations for the public interest and for scaling up, it is imperative to cultivate trust among a range of actors and organizations across the food system value chain. This trust-building process necessitates the development of transparent pathways for converting raw data into actionable insights, a task that involves farmers, technology providers, and policymakers navigating complex and often competing policy landscapes. This presentation presents methods and ideas for co-designing innovative smart farming tools, including artificial intelligence-based decision support systems and sensor-driven performance-based incentives designed to govern the environment and promote sustainable farming practices.

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    Storytelling, Food Systems, and Networks: Reflections on Growing a Region , article

    Storytelling inspires many creative possibilities for collective learning and reflection. In this session, we'll be joined by Center Fellow, Maureen (Mo) McGonagle, with the Local Environmental Agriculture Project (LEAP), in collaboration with Justice Madden and Kim Niewolny to discuss the Roanoke Foodshed Network (RFN) and the public launch of "Stories of Community Food Work,” a participatory narrative inquiry and photo essay initiative uplifting stories from Roanoke region food system organizers, practitioners, art makers, farmers, and more. This form of community-based research offers an approach to understand how the ways we share knowledge shapes the food system we aim to create and sustain. From a regional food system and network perspective, we also explore how these stories provide a vision for building community capacity, cultural understanding, and organizational cohesion. Be part of this enriching conversation, as we celebrate the possibilities of individual narratives in building a more equitable and resilient food system in the Roanoke region.

Events Archive

Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments. Its programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, military status, or any other basis protected by law.