CEFS Symposium on Agriculture, Food Systems, and Climate Change
What could, should, and will be our responses to the changing climate?
What innovative agricultural research and farming practices can lead to resilient agricultural systems under a changing climate in North Carolina? How can community-based food systems contribute to climate resiliency in our state? How can policies and practices be informed by a holistic and science-based understanding of climate change?
Held on August 11, 2022, the first CEFS Symposium on Agriculture, Food Systems, and Climate Change brought together interdisciplinary researchers, policymakers, farmers, and community leaders for interactive discussions to highlight novel ideas and priorities for our agriculture and food systems to address climate change. This symposium was open to all and concluded with a networking opportunity to cultivate new collaborations and communication among symposium participants. CEFS is excited to exchange ideas, share solutions, and engage with others committed to addressing climate change.
Proceeds from the CEFS Symposium on Agriculture, Food Systems and Climate Change will support the CEFS Student Support Fund, with the goal to recruit diverse students and fund graduate student support, internships and other experiential learning activities focused on climate change, equity, diversity, social justice and other sustainable agriculture and food system CEFS priorities.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Robert Bonnie, USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation
Dr. Rattan Lal, Distinguished Professor of Soil Science, Ohio State University (VIRTUAL)
Karen Washington, Co-Owner and Farmer, Rise and Root Farm
AGENDA
| Time | Speakers and Panelists | |
|---|---|---|
| 1:00 PM | Welcome | Dr. Michelle Schroeder-Moreno |
| 1:15 PM | Fireside Chat (VIRTUAL): Confronting the climate change impacts in agriculture and food systems | Dr. Rattan Lal, Distinguished Professor of Soil Science, Ohio State University |
| Moderator: | Danielle Nierenberg | |
| 1:40 PM | Fireside chat: USDA policies and programs to support agriculture and food systems in the face of climate change | Robert Bonnie, USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation |
| Moderator: | Danielle Nierenberg | |
| 2:05 PM | Q&A | |
| 2:15 PM | Agricultural Research Panel: Sustaining Agriculture in the Face of Climate Change - What Research Can Lead to Resilient Practices? | Dr. Alex Woodley Dr. Alan Franzluebbers Dr. Chris Reberg-Horton Dr. Hao Feng |
| Moderator: | Dr. Michelle Schroeder-Moreno | |
| 2:50 PM | Farmer Panel: Farmers leading agricultural practices to mitigate and adapt to climate change in NC | Davon Goodwin Martha Mobley Zeb Winslow |
| Moderator: | Tom Philpott | |
| 3:20 PM | Q&A and BREAK | |
| 3:45 PM | Fireside Chat: Importance of diverse food system leaders in developing climate change resilience | Karen Washington, Co-owner and Farmer, Rise and Root Farm |
| Moderator: | Dr. Cynthia Greenlee | |
| 4:10 PM | Food Systems Panel: Community leaders transforming food system change across North Carolina | Juanita Wilson Greg Jacobs Savi Horne Joseph Owle |
| Moderator: | Danielle Nierenberg | |
| 4:45 PM | Q&A and Closing Remarks | |
| 5:00 PM | Reception |
Dr. Schroeder-Moreno’s goal is to train students as ‘future food system leaders’ that can critically analyze agriculture and food challenges from a multidisciplinary and holistic lens and develop sustainable solutions that are environmentally sound, socially and culturally acceptable and economically viable. Dr. Schroeder-Moreno also serves as the (Interim) CEFS Co-Director and Assistant Director of Educational Programs for the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS).
Alex Woodley’s research program is focused on soil productivity and profitability in sustainable and organic cropping systems. Research initiatives include linking soil health indicators to productive agroecosystems, mitigation of soil greenhouse gas emissions, soil carbon sequestration and nutrient management of fertilizers, organic amendments and cover crops.
Dr. Alan Franzluebbers is a Research Ecologist with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service on the campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh NC. He studies soil carbon and soil health. He is the ARS co-lead of the USDA Southeast Region Climate Hub. He is on the Executive Committee for the American Forage and Grassland Council. He is as an Associate Editor for Agricultural and Environmental Letters. He is a coauthor for the agriculture chapter of the Fifth National Climate Assessment.
Dr. Reberg-Horton co-leads the Precision Sustainable Agriculture network consisting of on-farm and on-station experiments that utilize the latest developments in sensors, IoT platforms, and Machine Learning to collect and standardize field data from a wide range of agricultural environments. The network operates in 25 states and has more than 120 locations each year. Chris also serves as the Platform Director for Resilient Agricultural Systems at the Plant Sciences Initiative at NC State University. As such, he supports teams addressing climate change, food security, and the use of new technologies for adaptive management of farms.
Dr. Feng’s research focuses on sustainable food and bioprocessing, microbial food safety, urban food systems innovations, plant-based food and food ingredients, quality and safety of fresh and fresh-cut produce, value-added production, and data science applications in food systems.
Davon Goodwin runs Off the Land (OTL) Farms in Laurinburg, NC. Mr. Goodwin is the Executive Director of the Sandhills Ag Innovation Center, a food hub in Ellerbe, North Carolina that is working to reinvigorate the local sustainable farm economy and support the next generation of farmers. Davon was a 2017 Stone Barns Exchange Fellow, a group working at the intersections of climate change, food and agriculture.
Martha Mobley, owner of Meadow Lane Farm and Franklin County Extension Agent.
Zeb Winslow is a fifth-generation farmer who uses a diverse mix of cover crops, including rye, triticale, oats, crimson clover, rapeseed, radish, wooly pod vetch and winter peas while growing cash crops of corn, soybeans and cotton on 800 acres. Cash crops are planted into green and growing covers to maximize cover crop growth and benefits when the growing season allows. 
Juanita Wilson is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). She oversees the Training & Development department of the EBCI. Wilson and her team are responsible for the professional development of 1,200+ employees. She has been appointed twice, from two different Principal Chiefs of the EBCI, to take leadership roles within EBCI.
Mr. Greg Jacobs is a citizen of the Coharie Tribe and serves as the Tribal Administrator for the Coharie Intra-Tribal Council, headquartered at the historic Eastern Carolina Indian School and present-day Coharie Tribal Center in Clinton, NC. Mr. Jacobs, himself a graduate from Clinton High School, went on to study at East Carolina University. Mr. Jacobs is a graduate of the inaugural cohort of NC Native Leadership Institute of UNC-Chapel Hill. He oversees the day to day operations of the Tribal Center, administering a variety of programs ranging from Healthy Native North Carolinians, the Great Coharie River Initiative, and other programs meeting the wellness, housing and economic development needs of his community.
Savi Horne is Executive Director of the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers’ Land Loss Prevention Project, a non-profit law firm that has offered legal representation of clients, community economic development, and professional outreach in the effort to promote wealth, land preservation, and rural livelihoods. As a state, regional, and national non-governmental organization leader, she has been instrumental in addressing the needs of socially disadvantaged farmers and rural communities. She graduated from Rutgers University, School of Law–Newark, New Jersey, and was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1990.
Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources; Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
Tom Philpott is the food and agriculture correspondent for Mother Jones Magazine. He is the author of Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It (2020), hailed by Michael Pollan as the “most important book on the food system in years.”
Danielle Nierenberg is a world-renowned researcher, speaker, and advocate, on all issues relating to our food system and agriculture. Danielle is President and co-founder of Food Tank, a nonprofit organization focused on building a global community for safe, healthy, nourished eaters and is the recipient of the 2020 Julia Child Award. Find her on twitter: @DaniNierenberg.
Dr. Cynthia R. Greenlee is a North Carolina native, Durham resident, historian and food writer. She won a coveted James Beard award, the highest honor in U.S. food writing, in 2020 and was nominated twice this year. Most recently, she was senior editor at The Counter, a now-defunct nonprofit investigative journalism publication that covered the world of food and agriculture. Dr. Greenlee’s journalistic writing has appeared in publications as diverse as The Atlantic, Essence, The New York Times, The Nation, Smithsonian, The Washington Post, Vox and Vice. Her work has also been anthologized or honored in three different volumes of the “Best American” series. She’s a two-time graduate of the University of North Carolina, where she was a Morehead Scholar, and got her PhD from Duke University. She served as co-editor of “The Echoing Ida Collection” of Black women writing about reproductive and social justice, and a founding member of The Carolina Abortion Fund. You can find her on Twitter (@CynthiaGreenlee) or her website at www.cynthiagreenlee.com. Health and Safety: We have chosen a large space to allow social distancing and airflow. We ask any participants that are not feeling well the day of to please join us another time.
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH PANEL
Sustaining Agriculture in the Face of Climate Change- What Research Can Lead to Resilient Practices?
Assistant Professor in Sustainable and Organic Soil Fertility, NC State University
Research Ecologist,USDA-Agricultural Research Service and Co-Director, Southeast Regional Climate Hub
Precision Sustainable Agriculture Network, NC State University
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Endowed Professor, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
FARMER PANEL
Farmers leading agricultural practices to mitigate and adapt to climate change in North Carolina
Off the Land (OTL) Farms, Manager at Sandhills AG Innovation Center
Meadow Lane Farm and Franklin County Extension Agent
Z3 Agriculture LLC
FOOD SYSTEM PANEL
Community leaders transforming food system change across North Carolina
Director, NC Association of Black Lawyers Land Loss Prevention Project
Tribal Administrator for Coharie Intra-Tribal Council, Inc.
Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
Co-Chair, Nikwasi Initiative, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
MODERATORS
President of Food Tank
CEFS Interim Co-Director and Assistant Director of Educational Programs
Food and Ag correspondent, Mother Jones
Historian and Journalist