ORONO, Maine — The Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine will host a talk, “Transforming Food Systems through Agroecology” at 3 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 30
In this talk, Ernesto Méndez, professor of agroecology at the University of Vermont, will define agroecology and discuss how it can bring together farmers, academics, activists and policy makers to better understand and reshape food systems. He will describe the core causes driving food system issues and, using a participatory research approach, possible solutions that are also centered on equity. Using an example with coffee farmers in Mexico, he also will discuss the challenges and opportunities of this approach and its future potential.
Méndez’s research and teaching focus on agroecology, smallholder coffee systems, participatory action research and transdisciplinary research approaches. He has over 25 years of experience working with smallholder and Indigenous farmers in Latin America and collaborating in agroecology efforts in Vermont and around the world. He is also active in advancing issues of justice, equity, anti-racism, diversity and belonging.
All talks in the Mitchell Center’s Sustainability Talks series are free and are offered both remotely via Zoom and in person at 107 Norman Smith Hall on the UMaine campus in Orono. Registration is required to attend remotely; to register and receive connection information, see the event webpage.
To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Ruth Hallsworth, 207.581.3196; hallsworth@maine.edu.
About Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions:
The Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine aspires to be a leader and valued partner in understanding and solving problems related to the growing challenge of improving human well-being while protecting the environment. We collaborate with diverse stakeholders and bring together faculty and students from many different fields. By connecting knowledge with action, we seek to create a brighter environmental, social and economic future in and beyond Maine.
About the University of Maine:
The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state’s land grant, sea grant and space grant university, with a regional campus at the University of Maine at Machias. UMaine is located on Marsh Island in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation. UMaine Machias is located in the homeland of the Passamaquoddy Nation. As Maine’s flagship public university, UMaine has a statewide mission of teaching, research and economic development, and community service. UMaine is the state’s public research university and a Carnegie R1 top-tier research institution. It attracts students from all 50 states and 86 countries. UMaine currently enrolls 11,571 undergraduate and graduate students, and UMaine Machias enrolls 763 undergraduates. Our students have opportunities to participate in groundbreaking research with world-class scholars. UMaine offers 77 bachelor’s degrees and six undergraduate certificates, as well as more than 100 degree programs through which students can earn doctoral or master’s degrees, professional master’s degrees, and graduate certificates. UMaine Machias offers 18 associate and bachelor’s degrees, and 14 undergraduate certificates. The university promotes environmental stewardship, with substantial efforts campuswide to conserve energy, recycle and adhere to green building standards in new construction. For more information about UMaine and UMaine Machias, visit umaine.edu and machias.edu.
–University of Maine