{"id":1546,"date":"2019-07-01T11:12:03","date_gmt":"2019-07-01T15:12:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/agroecology\/?p=1546"},"modified":"2019-07-01T13:44:39","modified_gmt":"2019-07-01T17:44:39","slug":"uvm-martha-caswell-advocates-agroecology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/agroecology\/uvm-martha-caswell-advocates-agroecology\/","title":{"rendered":"UVM Is: Martha Caswell Advocates for Agroecology"},"content":{"rendered":"

UVM Is: Martha Caswell Advocates for Agroecology<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Two months ago today, our friend and colleague Martha Caswell was featured in UVM Is for her work in agroecology. Published below is that article by Erica Housekeeper.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Countries around the world, from Senegal to Brazil and the Netherlands, are embracing agroecology to achieve a more sustainable food system and adapt to climate change. But one place where agroecology has yet to go mainstream is the United States.<\/p>\n

Martha Caswell, research and outreach coordinator for the\u00a0UVM Agroecology and Livelihoods Collaborative (ALC)<\/a>*. understands that there are challenges that accompany the growth in agroecology. However, she also sees its promise as people around the world are fundamentally rethinking and redesigning food systems, based on agroecological principles.<\/p>\n

Agroecology aims to increase the ecological benefits of farming, and bring forward the experience and knowledge of farmers and other food system actors to study and find tangible solutions to some of the toughest challenges facing our food systems. Conserving crop diversity, improving soil health, achieving food sovereignty, and decreasing the distance between producer and consumer are just a few of the principles of agroecology.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of the way agriculture in the United States has been consolidated, a lot of people don\u2019t know where their food is coming from,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat will it take for that pendulum to swing back?\u201d<\/p>\n

UVM\u2019s Certificate of Graduate Study in Agroecology<\/h2>\n

Caswell and the Agroecology and Livelihoods Collaborative (ALC) are offering a 15-credit\u00a0Certificate of Graduate Study in Agroecology (CGSA)<\/a>\u00a0designed to examine potential pathways\u00a0toward the sustainable transformation of the current agrifood system by integrating economic, social and ecological perspectives. The first course provides an introduction to agroecology, including an online portion dedicated to theory and framing the issues, and then a week of experiential learning at UVM, focusing on visits to highlight agroecology in action on Vermont farms.<\/p>\n

Also highlighting the principles of\u00a0Participatory Action Research (PAR),<\/a>\u00a0the low-residency certificate program guides students to\u00a0identify critical questions and practice new methods for integrating\u00a0data from farmers, academics, activists, and policymakers. This approach is used to understand agrifood system issues, as well as search for alternatives with real promise to help resolve issues on the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne way to start thinking about agroecology is to consider how nature would approach agriculture,\u201d she says. \u201cYou\u2019re still looking for high-quality production and caring about yield, but you\u2019re also thinking about maintaining synergy with the natural world.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Social Scientist, a Transdisciplinary Approach<\/h2>\n

Caswell majored in American Culture at the University of Michigan and earned her Master\u2019s in Public Policy with a focus on poverty and inequality at the University of Chicago. She was hired by UVM in 2012, to work as a research specialist for the Department of Plant and Soil Science and took a permanent position with the ALC the following year.<\/p>\n

The mission of the ALC, which is part of the Department of Plant and Soil Science, is to co-create evidence and knowledge with farmers, activists and policymakers and\u00a0to cultivate\u00a0socially just and ecologically sound food systems. The ALC\u00a0\u201ccommunity of practice\u201d<\/a>\u00a0includes\u00a0Professor Ernesto Mendez<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Lecturer Vic Izzo<\/a>\u00a0and both\u00a0graduate<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0undergraduate students<\/a>, in addition to\u00a0external project partners<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t a career path I thought I would be on when I was in graduate school. I\u2019m a social scientist in the middle of the Plant and Soil Science department, but agroecology needs to be transdisciplinary,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to figure out how to look at the ways the various components of agrifood systems interact. Ernesto was trained as an agronomist and is now an agroecologist, I\u2019m a social scientist, and Vic is an entomologist. The good news is that through our community of practice we\u2019ve also attracted students who want to think about things from multiple angles.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the ALC\u2019s current research projects is examining what urban and peri-urban agroecology looks like in Vermont. The partner organizations for this research project are the\u00a0Intervale Center<\/a>,\u00a0New Farms for New Americans<\/a>,\u00a0Vermont Community Garden Network<\/a>, and\u00a0UVM\u2019s Catamount Farm<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgroecology is based on principles, and after working with these Vermont organizations, they have seen that agroecology is something they are already practicing. Now we are looking at where they can deepen what they\u2019re already doing and identifying the best ways to move in that direction,\u201d she says. \u201cAt the international level, we see more of a tipping point. But the food system within Vermont also lends itself really well to the idea of agroecology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of the challenge with agroecology in much of the United States is that industrial farming is a dominant force, she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe agrifood system in the U.S. is definitely structured to favor the industrial model and most policies don\u2019t favor small farms,\u201d she says. \u201cThat leaves smallholder farmers in the U.S. trying to figure out where they fit in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Progress in Agroecology<\/h2>\n

A bright spot is that agroecology is starting to open space for women to be recognized for their contributions, she says.<\/p>\n

While men have traditionally been motivated by higher yields and income potential, women have focused on protecting against risk, maintaining biodiversity and providing nutritious food for their families.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people who have been credited with the first wave of agroecology are all men,\u201d Caswell says. \u201cBut recently women have stepped up to say there is no agroecology without us and women are finally being recognized for the work they have always done.\u201d<\/p>\n

This happens at the farm and at the University. A recent organization by the name of Alianza de Mujeres en la Agroecolog\u00eda-Alliance of Women in Agroecology (AMA-AWA) is working to support this internationally. Helda Morales, Professor at ECOSUR in Mexico and one of the founders of AMA-AWA, recently visited UVM and invited Caswell to join.<\/p>\n

That shift to highlight women\u2019s accomplishments in agroecology, at the farm and the academy, is something Caswell hopes students will find inspiring. If she could give students one piece of advice on how to make progress, it would be that collaboration and listening are necessary for success.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe confident in what you know and also aware of what you don\u2019t know. Be ready to listen and try to work on things together,\u201d Caswell says. \u201cWhen we\u2019re convinced there is only one way, then we are much more likely to end up at a dead end. But when we open up to multiple options, we have a better chance of getting to where we need to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0The\u00a0<\/em>\u201cUVM Is\u201d series<\/a>\u00a0celebrates University faculty, educators, and the campus community.<\/em><\/p>\n

*link updated from original article<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UVM Is: Martha Caswell Advocates for Agroecology Two months ago today, our friend and colleague Martha Caswell was featured in UVM Is for her work in agroecology. Published below is that article by Erica Housekeeper.\u00a0 Countries around the world, from Senegal to Brazil and the Netherlands, are embracing agroecology to achieve a more sustainable food … Continue reading “UVM Is: Martha Caswell Advocates for Agroecology”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":1539,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nUVM Is: Martha Caswell Advocates for Agroecology - Agroecology at UVM<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/agroecology\/uvm-martha-caswell-advocates-agroecology\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UVM Is: Martha Caswell Advocates for Agroecology - Agroecology at UVM\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"UVM Is: Martha Caswell Advocates for Agroecology Two months ago today, our friend and colleague Martha Caswell was featured in UVM Is for her work in agroecology. 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