Dr. Jennifer Blesh is an agroecology professor, Appalachian Trail hiker, mom of two, and a researcher of ecologically sustainable and socially just food systems. Her work in the U.S. and Brazil explores the environmental outcomes of agroecological practices and how policy change and grassroots movements can support transitions to agroecology. Read on to learn about her top picks for inspiring documentaries, her advice for students interested in sustainable food systems, and her favorite recipes.
October 26th, 2022
Where did you grow up?
I was born in Northwestern Connecticut in a rural town where the Appalachian mountains cut through the state. I was with the same 13 children in my class from kindergarten through eighth grade. My house was just a quarter mile off of the Appalachian Trail, so I eventually completed a 4 month thru-hike when I was in my 20s.…the Appalachian Trail was sort of in my blood.
How did you become interested in agroecology?
I knew I wanted to be an ecologist when I was an undergraduate at the University of Georgia. I was really inspired by the Institute of Ecology, which was one of the founding homes of ecosystem ecology –a main focus of my work today.
At that time, there was still a bit of snobbery within the ecology community about managed ecosystems – that agricultural systems are too simplified; they’re not interesting; or they’re highly disturbed. I pushed back against that bias and gravitated towards those systems.
One summer I conducted research with a masters student in agroecology who had a project intercropping wheat and alfalfa. Laura’s work was planted in Kansas at The Land Institute, which is a research institute focused on breeding perennial crops founded by Wes Jackson. The Land Institute is quite futuristic, basically redesigning cropping systems to have perennial species rather than annuals. Whie in Kansas, I met Wes Jackson, and the plant breeders working in this system, and just became totally enamored, realizing “oh, agroecology is what I want to do! I want to do sustainable agriculture.” I started thinking about how agriculture can help people reconnect to their environment and sustainability issues because we eat all of the time, right? In that experience, I saw these examples of transformative ways of growing food that seemed so logical– like “of course, why aren’t we doing this everywhere?”
I realized to do that effectively I would need to have some skills in agriculture, so for graduate school I went to a Land Grant University (Cornell) where I studied soil and crop sciences. I was also in a biogeochemistry program where I refined skills related to my current work on sustainability issues around carbon and nitrogen cycling.
Tell us about your current research – what is the Blesh Lab up to?
I have a wonderful and active group and our work falls into two main themes: 1) Understanding the relationship between crop diversity and different ecosystem functions on farms, and 2) Understanding innovation towards sustainability and resilience in the food system. [Innovation includes] thinking about how farmers can transition to more sustainable practices through the lens of what we call constrained choices (farm decisions are constrained by policy and market conditions). I do this work in Michigan and also in Brazil. In Brazil, my collaborator and I have explored how policy change and grassroots movements can support adoption of agroecological practices on farms.
We study ecosystem functions relevant to agricultural sustainability and global change, [including] soil health and soil carbon storage, soil nutrient retention (relevant for Great Lakes water quality), and legume nitrogen fixation. My lab thinks about how to manage legume crops as a more sustainable, solar-powered source of nitrogen.
A lot of our work takes place on farms, so we often work in partnership with farmers. On-farm research also reflects the social context in which farmers are operating, which is powerful because research results are relevant to farmers’ experience, and it can help us think about how we need to tailor practices to places with different soil, climate, or management histories. This also helps inform how to target policies or conservation dollars to where they might be most effective.
Why don’t we currently implement more sustainable agriculture practices?
That’s a complex question to answer, but broadly, the simplification and consolidation of agriculture under capitalism, and especially neoliberalism, have created major barriers to agricultural sustainability. Now that we have a globalized food system and infrastructure for large, simplified monocultures that produce high yields and high profits (for corporations), it has become difficult to undo. Our social science work asks, “what are the multi-scale barriers to diversification of cropping systems?” If we can understand those barriers, from the perspective of farmers and other actors in the agricultural system, then we can start to understand what policies are needed to help overcome them and transform the food system. Despite those systemic barriers, there are amazing examples where farmers and communities are creating sustainable food systems against the odds. My lab partners with those groups, and bright spots of innovation, to learn from them and how their actions can inform how we scale transformation processes.
How do you like to spend your time when you’re not researching, teaching, or working?
Right now my free time is really dominated by my wonderful young children. I have a lot of hobbies, some related to the food system like cooking and baking. I managed a bakery and cafe for a year and half after undergrad. I play piano and do a lot of yoga, and I like hiking and being outdoors. I am not as intrepid as Lilly– I haven’t taken my small kids on backpacking trips yet.
What courses do you typically teach?
In the winter I teach Agroecosystem Management (EAS 524). It’s an agroecology course that focuses on different agricultural management systems and their effects on environmental sustainability.
In the fall I teach Foundations of Sustainable Food Systems (EAS 528 NUTR 555 URP 527), which has become one of our core courses for the Sustainable Food Systems Initiative. For 8 years now, I have been team-teaching the course with Lesli Hoey and Andy Jones and love it. The three of us knew each other in grad school at Cornell, so we’ve become great friends.
Where do you look for a model for food systems change?
There are a lot of bright spots around the world that are great role models for change. In Brazil, we’ve studied the outcomes of policies in the Zero Hunger Program, which directly link food security goals to incentives for sustainable agriculture. This suite of policies provides incentives for agroecological and organic practices on farms, has developed public procurement programs, and also targets marginalized groups of farmers (indigenous farmers, land reform recipients, women farmers), making them really innovative.
In the U.S. I’d like to see similar efforts to connect agricultural sustainability with goals for nutritious diets and social equity. I’d also like to see more perennial plant species in the overall landscape, whether it’s perennial grains, reintegrated crop-livestock systems, or agroforests.
How can students/community members get involved in eating sustainably? We’ve heard about eating plant-based and local, but what are your thoughts?
I still think that advice holds true. In our class, Andy Jones mentions that Michael Pollan‘s mantra still makes a lot of sense: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” I also think it’s important not to be too dogmatic about diets. In my view, the discussion often lacks nuance, like overly broad calls to eat no meat. There is more complexity there, which we try to help students understand in our courses, like considering how important livestock can be to sustainable practices on farms when they’re not in feedlots. When livestock are integrated into a farm ecosystem, they provide a lot of different functions, and are such an important source of key nutrients, especially for women and children in many countries. It’s not as simple as saying “eat no meat,” but it depends on what types of meat and how it is produced. Importantly, how can Americans who are eating twice the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of protein reduce their consumption and how can we get meat to people who need it?
I’ve been excited about using local Michigan flour and Michigan dry beans in my cooking – our state is so [agriculturally] diverse.
What advice do you have for students interested in food systems careers?
I’ll paraphrase Harriet Friedmann, a visiting scholar with SFSI a few years ago who said, “some of the best food systems jobs haven’t been invented yet” to inspire our students to find their niche. We need a lot of innovation and creativity. [It’s about] figuring out what makes you tick. What’s your passion, what motivates you? You’re more likely [that way] to pour yourself into it and do it really well. It’s also really important to find a position that fits with your values. So, think about, “what are you good at, where can you make change?” Then ask yourself, “does this reflect my values and who I want to be in the world?” If you’re interested in joining the agricultural workforce there are a lot of amazing and innovative small scale farms in and around Ann Arbor, so volunteering or working at those would be a great idea in addition to the Campus Farm.
Have any particular authors, articles or documentaries had a significant impact on you?
One that jumps to mind right now is “Life and Debt”, which helped me to learn about the effects of neoliberalism and structural adjustment on global food systems. There’s also a fun, artsy movie that I love called “The Gleaners and I” by Agnès Varda. “King Corn” is another documentary I enjoyed watching; it shows the complexities and problems of the industrial food system. One of my main early influences was reading Wendell Berry as I was getting into this field. I also remember that Fast Food Nation had a big impact on my diet at the time. By the time I got to grad school, “Stuffed and Starved” was an influential book for me. I’ve recently read “Farming while Black” and I think Leah Penniman is really inspiring. Now that I live in Michigan, I read “Living for Change,” the Grace Lee Boggs autobiography, which was amazing.
Lastly, what’s your go-to recipe?
This is going to sound sort of boring because everyone has been making sourdough bread since the pandemic, but I make my own sourdough at home and have been doing that since before the pandemic! I have a favorite kale recipe modified from this restaurant called Just a Taste in Ithaca that I love. To be honest, my favorite recipes aren’t super healthy! One of them is a mac and cheese recipe from The Grit, which is an amazing restaurant in Athens, GA. I have also spent years perfecting an apple crisp recipe because I think it’s such a simple and wonderful dessert. When I have dessert, I want it to be really good.
