2020 Farm Summit Preview
Ahead of the Farm Summit, hosted by Farm to Institution New England, the Farm & Sea to Campus Network, and Stonehill, we spoke to Farm Director, Bridget Lawrence-Meigs about the event, which follows on the success of the first summit in 2018.
What’s the Summit’s focus?
It is about how campus farms are living organisms that nourish students. In addition to networking and making connections, attendees will be exploring practical ways to support campus farms and be nourished by them. It’s also an opportunity for campus farm managers to connect and strengthen their programs so that we can reach more students and deepen the impact of their work.
Say more about nourishment
We are thinking about nourishment from a variety of angles. Campus farms feed the student body and broader community and enrich academic and social life. Just as the farm provides nourishment through programs and produce, so does a campus farm require nourishment in the form of funding, partnerships, and stakeholders. Assistant Farm Manager, Celia Dolan ’19 will moderate a student wellness panel that looks at Nourishing Wellness on Campus Farms.
Name a highlight?
We are so pleased that Professor Julian Agyeman will give the keynote address. He is the originator of the just sustainabilities concept, which is about “the need to ensure a better quality of life for all, now and into the future, in a just and equitable manner, whilst living within the limits of supporting ecosystems.”
How are students responding?
Very well and with great interest. These experiences give our students skills and confidence to collaborate and grow a stronger and more sustainable food system centered on environmental sustainability and social justice. Campus Farms also give our students and communities impactful ways to understand and strengthen the roles they play in their food systems.
Students aren’t just attending; several are also presenting.
Yes, indeed. Our opening plenary session features a student discussion on the impact of campus farms on student farmers’ mental, physical, and social wellness. Each student will share stories about how their farms support wellness, framing the Summit’s theme and making connections between sessions and campus farm work.
For full Summit details, visit here.