Feeding a Growing World:
Perspectives in 2016
Yale University, School of Forestry and
Environmental Studies
September 30th, 2016
Request for Proposals
Half a century out from the Green Revolution, our food system is as technologically advanced as ever. Yet our innovations have presented long-term sustainability challenges, while both global hunger and obesity persist. We are now faced with the question of where to go from here–with the knowledge and technology we have obtained and challenges before us, what approaches do we take to feed the world in a manner that is sustainable for both the population and the planet? Stakeholders across the food system as well as scholars hold divergent perspectives on where to focus solutions. A productionist view may point to the need to produce more food through even more advanced technology and seed engineering, while others may take a distributionist view that stresses social justice rather than yields, while still others may seek methods to reduce food waste. Some may focus on the nutritional quality of what we are growing, while others emphasize the need to shift diets to those less impactful on the environment. These and other perspectives vary in the populations they target, including farmworkers, consumers, corporations, or governments. This conference seeks to stimulate conversation among practitioners, scholars, and community members to understand these diverse perspectives and consider collaborative solutions in moving forward as our world population grows, diet-related diseases increase, and natural resources are depleted.
The 2016 Yale Food Systems Symposium (YFSS) will bring diverse scholars and practitioners to work together in action-oriented sessions that address the complex ecological and socio-economic dynamics of feeding the world, including food production, consumption, climate change, and urbanization. We seek a diversity of proposal formats: panels, working groups, roundtables, and papers. We welcome perspectives from the natural and social sciences, from applied disciplines, and from community practitioners. Proposals that bring scholars and practitioners together, work across disciplines, or partner emerging and established researchers are especially encouraged.
Call for proposals
Submissions topic areas include, but are not limited to:
- Nutrition, diet shifts, and sustainable diets
- Food, ethics, and religion
- Private market-based solutions, private governance, and sustainable supply chain management
- Solutions to reducing pre- and post-consumer food waste
- Agricultural production and management
- Plant biotechnology and GMOs
- Global geo-political structures influencing food production and food security
- The right to food, food justice, and food sovereignty movements
- Agricultural biodiversity
- Industrial ecology approaches to food systems analysis
- Land sparing versus land sharing/sustainable intensification
- Urbanization, land use change, and food systems planning
The above list is simply intended to serve as a guideline. We welcome ideas that span across categories or do not correspond directly to those outlined.
Abstract Submissions
Deadline for submission is June 15th, 2016. Abstracts & Workshop Proposals should be 200-300 words and include a title and keywords. Please submit online using our abstract submission form. Accepted proposals will be notified by August 1st, 2016.
Please see the conference website, www.yalefoodsymposium.org for more information. Abstracts may be submitted through the survey form located on the website. Questions about proposal submission and registration may be directed to yalefoodsymposium@gmail.com.
FoodAnthropology 