Colin Anderson

Associate Research Professor – Agroecology and Livelihoods Collaborative

Colin Anderson focuses on community- and people- led processes of transformation for resilience, social justice and well-being. He works with communities, networks and organizations in social movements who are organizing to confront intersecting crises we face today and who are reimagining and building alternatives. Colin is committed to engaged and participatory research, learning and action in his methodology and pedagogy. This is anchored by a commitment to knowledge mobilization, which involves a political and social process of co-producing and deploying knowledge in processes of social transformation. He is a co-convenor of the international platform, Agroecology Now, and is always eager to connect with potential collaborators to exchange, learn and dream up projects, programs and new lines of work.

At UVM, Colin is an associate of the Agroecology and Livelihoods Collaborative (ALC) and support the international CCRP project on agroecology, transdisciplinarity and food systems transformation. He is a member of the leadership team tasked with developing a new International Research Institute at UVM on agroecology. In this role on the team, he focuses on developing the research and internationalization agendas for the institute. He will facilitate and implement a process of connecting the institute into the global movement of researchers, movements, food producers, institutions and other actors working to mobilize knowledge for a transformative agroecology. Alongside this work, Colin continues a range of research programs, including on: agroecology transformations, territorial food systems, food sovereignty and more. Colin’s work has been funded by the European Union, Canadian Social Sciences Research Council, the UN FAO, Agroecology Fund, British Academy, UK Research Institute, Fulbright, Heifer International, the Newton Fund and other donors.

Colin’s publications can be found here.

Education
  • Ph.D. in Environment and Geography. The University of Manitoba.
  • B.A. Psychology (Major), Sociology (Minor). The University of Manitoba.
Areas of interest
  • Agroecology Transformations and Food Sovereignty.
  • Developing participatory and transdisciplinary research and teaching approaches.
  • The use of multimedia and transmedia forms of communication in advancing narratives for transformative change for just sustainability.
  • Food security and food justice in the global north.
  • The role of governance (including policies, regulations and institutions) in the development of grassroots/sustainable alternatives to the dominant model of political economic development.
  • The processes of learning, knowledge exchange and knowledge mobilisation in developing alternative economies and social movements.
Affiliations
Contact Information

Email: colin.anderson@uvm.edu
Office Hours: by appointment