Special Projects and Collaborations

Special Projects 

2023

  • Supported a group workshop on digital storytelling for our tribal fellowship program. Our five current fellows, two mentors, and two fellow alums met once a week over the course of 6-weeks to learn about the art of storytelling and develop their own digital stories. 
  • Collaborated with eOrganic, & USDA NIFA to co-sponsored JAFSCD Special Section: "Fostering Socially and Ecologically Resilient Food and Farm Systems Through Research Networks".
  • Published our first special section under our JAFSCD partnership, "Justice and Equity Approaches to College and University Student Food (In)Security", led by Justice Working Group member, Dr. Rachael Budowle.
  • Sponsored the 10th Annual Sustainable Agriculture Education Association (SAEA) Conference held at the Ohio State University and Central State University.
  • Supported the visioning and strategic planning process for a UC Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems Consortium/Community of Practice.
  • Hosted a virtual screening of “Rhythms of the Land”, a documentary highlighting and honoring the history of black farmers in America. Director, Dr. Gail Myers, joined the screening for a Q&A session with attendees.

2022

  • Developed and submitted a $20 million dollar proposal, “NextGen Growing Season: preparing BIPOC students to enrich US food and agriculture” application to the USDA’s “Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals (NextGen) funding opportunity. Although unfunded, the reviewers agreed that it was ranked in the top category as “outstanding”.
  • Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems special issue: Achieving Food System Resilience & Equity in the Era of Global Environmental Change led by Albie Miles and the Research Working Group. This included multiple INFAS co-editors and sponsoring four papers by INFAS lead authors. To date this special issue has generated over 152,000 views!
  • Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems special issue: "Critical and Equity-Oriented Pedagogical Innovations in Sustainable Food Systems Education" co-edited by Dr. Damian Parr and the Education Working Group. To date this special issue has generated over 24,000 views!
  • EC at-large member Erica Hall represented INFAS at the Annual Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners (BUGs) national conference in Atlanta, Ga & at the launch of the Inaugural Agroecology Center at Florida A&M University.
  • Sponsored INFAS members to attend the Agriculture of the Middle Dinner and Annual Meeting during the in-person Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society Conference in May in Athens, GA.
  • Co-hosted two "Cultivating Research Advocates" discussion sessions with NSAC's Research, Education, and Extension Committee.

2021

  • Collaborated with the Carver Integrative Sustainability Center (CISC) of Tuskegee University’s College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences to launch a pilot HBCU Graduate Fellowship.
  • INFAS partnered with the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD). As part of our partnership, INFAS members can propose and guest-edit up to two special sections per year. INFAS members can propose special sections here.
  • INFAS engaged in the UN Food System Summit agenda and “action track” shaping and planning, having been invited to represent “academia” on action track 4 which focuses on equity. Following the summit, INFAS members held a webinar to share their experiences from the Summit. In February 2022, Leslie Hoey, Molly Anderson, & Michelle Miller published  "Debrief on the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS)" in JAFSCD. 
  • Supported guest speakers at the SAEA 2021 Annual Conference.
  • INFAS co-sponsored the JAFSCD Special Issue: "The Impact of COVID-19 on the US Food System".
  • Redesigned the INFAS logo.

2020

  • Piloted a Food Systems Graduate Tribal Fellowship through collaboration with the Intertribal Agriculture Council
  • INFAS supported reinvigorating the web-presence of the Sustainable Agriculture Education Association
  • Member Profiles: The objectives of the Member Profiles are to introduce INFAS members and their activities; engage those currently in the network as well as others that may join; promote collaboration; inspire new conversations; share member experiences; demonstrate the value of working together across institutions, and to raise awareness of sustainability in agriculture and the food system: Social Sustainability, Environmental Sustainability, and Economic Sustainability.