Forum Addresses Agricultural Issues
"Agricultural Sustainability: Local and Global Issues," a free public forum addresses changing farming practices and their effect on rural communities at Alma College Wednesday, December 7, 7-9 p.m. in Skinner Auditorium, Dow Science Center.
A panel of rural experts provides a short presentation followed by time available for public comments and questions. Scott Piggot, Michigan Farm Bureau, discusses the advantages of consolidated farming practices and the benefits of changing agricultural practices. Ann Woiwode, Director of the Mackinac Chapter of the Sierra Club, speaks of the environmental and public health consequences related to consolidated farming practices and confined animal feedlot operations (CAFOs). Jim Bingen, Professor of Community, Food and Agricultural Systems at MSU, comments on the increasing globalization of agriculture and its effect on rural farming practices.
The forum is intended to explore agricultural sustainability and how to adjust the local economies and economic practices to respond to global pressures while protecting the environment and the rights of workers.
The forum is sponsored by the Alma College Department of Environmental Studies and Department of Political Science and is supported by a grant from the People Speak: America’s Role in the World, an initiative of the United Nations Foundation and Michigan Campus Compact.
For more information, please contact Kristen Minter at (989) 466-8666.
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Posted: Mon, December 5th, 2005 at 10:58AM
