Talk Description: Join Food Literacy for All’s 10th annual “Fast Food for Thought,” where 10 interdisciplinary UM faculty and staff gave 5-minute talks related to food and agriculture. This event was livestreamed as a Zoom Webinar and held in person at the Dana Building.
Fast Food for Thought 2026 Read More »
Talk Description: Hear about the history and work of The Farmers Land Trust, a national organization working to support farmland protection, transition, and secure access for farmers through the innovative Farmland Commons model, which decommodifies land by placing it in the ownership of local communities. Through this talk, participants will gain understanding of background on
Kristina Villa and Ian McSweeney: The Farmers Land Trust and the Farmland Commons Read More »
Talk Description: The talk provides a general overview of the Homeless Workers Movement (MTST), the biggest urban social movement in Brazil, and its revolutionary Solidarity Kitchens. Within a broader analysis of Brazil’s political and social context, we explore how, besides feeding thousands of people for free, these innovative social technologies serve as zones of community
Session Description: Alice Driver is a James Beard Award-winning investigative journalist from the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. She is the author of Life and Death of the American Worker: The Immigrants Taking on America’s Largest Meatpacking Company (One Signal Publishers, 2024). In 2024, the book won the Lukas Work-in-Progress Prize from Columbia Journalism School and
Book Talk: Life and Death of the American Worker by Alice Driver Read More »
Session Description: Climate change and food security are connected in many ways, and both are underlain by soil. Close to 1 billion people globally lack food and nutritional security, and the soil resources needed to produce food are being degraded by human action. In the context of food security, climate change is a threat multiplier,
This panel brings together urban agriculture and food policy leaders from Michigan, Connecticut, and Texas to explore how cities are shaping the future of equitable food systems. Panelists will share how their positions within municipal government influence land access, zoning, funding, and community power, highlighting both hard-won policy successes and ongoing structural challenges. Together, we’ll
Panel of City-Level Urban Agriculture Directors Read More »
On Tuesday, February 24, 2026, Anthony Flaccavento joined Food Literacy for All for a powerful presentation titled “To Build a Healthy Farm and Food System, We Must Overcome the Rural-Urban Divide.” A farmer and rural development consultant from Appalachia, Flaccavento challenged us to think about how decades of “trickle down” economic policies have increased corporate
Food prices shape everyday decisions. This talk examines the drivers and consequences of food price inflation in the United States. The lecture features case studies showing how specific tariffs affect food prices, illustrating how trade policy decisions translate into real-world impacts. Speaker Bio: Dr. David L. Ortega is Professor at Michigan State University who examines
Dr. David Ortega on Food Price Inflation and Tariff Impacts Read More »
Historically and internationally, students and youth have been at the forefront of advocacy, progress, and movements. By centering student voices and ideas, this session explore sreal-world examples of students envisioning and driving action for food systems transformation. We talk about alternative campus foodscapes, student food sovereignty, and equitable campus initiatives. Panelists: Dr. Michael Classens (Assistant
Jim Embry is a community activist, ecological steward, and cultural historian whose work spans more than six decades at the intersection of social & food justice, environmental sustainability, and cultural transformation. “Imagineers of a Sustainable Future” explores the power of imagination as a catalyst for social and ecological transformation. Through stories, insights, and practical examples
Jim Embry on “Becoming the Imagineers of a Sustainable Future” Read More »
