News

18th Annual International Agroecology Shortcourse

Dear friends and colleagues –

We are excited to announce the 18th Annual International Agroecology Shortcourse!

This year’s course, “Pathways to Resilience: an agroecological approach”, will be held in Burlington, VT, USA from July 31- August 10, 2017.  Agroecology offers crucial tools for farmers, advocates and planners to transform food systems for sustainability and resilience. This year’s shortcourse seeks to deepen participants’ understanding of agroecology’s dimensions as a science, practice and movement. By drawing on the experiences of participants from all over the world, this course will introduce key principles of agroecology and examine pathways to more resilient agrifood systems at a local, regional, and international scale. 
 
Classes and field activities will be held at the University of Vermont, situated in the heart of the Champlain Valley offering participants a unique opportunity to experience Vermont’s vibrant, local food and agriculture systems. The Agroecology and Livelihoods Collaborative (ALC) at the University of Vermont, in partnership with the Community Agroecology Network (CAN), are excited to announce the 18th Annual International Agroecology Shortcourse. The course will be led by three generations of agroecologists that represent multiple areas of expertise, including Stephen R. Gliessman, V. Ernesto Méndez, and Roseann Cohen.
 
For more information please visit http://professional.uvm.edu/learn-more/agroecology

Food for Thought Initiative

Martha Caswell, ALC Research and Outreach Coordinator, recently traveled to Montpellier, France for the kickoff  meeting for the latest round of the Thought for Food Initiative.

The ALC is excited to announce that we have recently been awarded a highly competitive grant to undertake a project to “Assess Diversification Strategies in Smallholder Coffee Systems” through the Thought for Food Initiative–funded by Fondation Daniel Et Nina Carasso, Fondazione Cariplo, and the Agropolis International Foundation.

Our partners for this project are from the Santa Clara University, Community and Agroecology Network and longtime cooperative, farmer and regional university partners in Nicaragua and Southern Mexico. We will be working with this core team, and also plan to integrate students and industry partners over the term of the project (2017-2020).

Stay tuned to hear more details as the project unfolds.