Faculty Co-Host Food Systems Environmental Lecture Series

Amanda C. Mitchell for TEI

The Environmental Institute at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in conjunction with four university faculty members is co-hosting a four-part lecture series on the topic of food systems. According to Sharon Tracey, special projects coordinator at the Environmental Institute, “Growth of the organics food industry, concerns over food safety both unintentional such as bacterial contamination and intentional threats of bioterrorism will be addressed. Mix in climate change, water shortages, and environmental and energy impacts of food production and you have a host of challenges to be addressed both by individuals through their food choices and by scientists and policy makers devising new solutions and approaches.” The Lecture Series provides a window where experts and the University community come together to look at the problems and challenges of our current food system and  environmental impacts from different perspectives.

UMass faculty members whose research and professional work have led them into the realm of food systems and food science are co-hosting the series. Professors Frank Mangan of the Plant, Soil, and Insect Sciences Department; Peter Haas of the Political Science Department; Fergus Clydesdale of the Food Science Department; and Julie Caswell of the Resource Economics Department have each invited an expert on the subject of food systems to speak at the university over the coming semester. Each guest will focus their talks on a different aspect of the food systems issue.  

Extension Associate Professor Frank Mangan is hosting the first speaker, Molly Anderson on Monday, February 26. Dr. Mangan teaches in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Insect Sciences. His research program focuses on developing environmentally sustainable production practices for commercial vegetable farmers in Massachusetts and greater New England. Dr. Mangan has been working with vegetable crops that can be grown in the Northeastern US climate and also be successfully marketed to the large immigrant population in the region.

Currently Dr. Mangan is researching a popular Brazilian vegetable crop known as Taioba, which is a green leafy vegetable that resembles kale or spinach. He is working closely with Brazilian researchers who are providing him with genetic material. He has traveled to Brazil several times to coordinate collaborative research activities. With the assistance of graduate student Raquel Uchôa de Mendonça, Dr. Mangan has identified a strong market for this crop in Massachusetts that he believes can be taken over and sustained by local farmers.
“The thing that makes my work different from similar work being done is that I work to encompass all aspects of the marketing.” Mangan said. “Without Raquel I wouldn’t have the connection to the language and the culture.”

TEI’s second lecturer, Robert Paarlberg, will be co-hosted by Professor Peter Haas. Haas is a Political Science Professor at UMass specializing in international relations with a focus on environmental issues. He has published works focused on international relations theory, constructivism, international environmental politics, global governance, and the interplay of science and international institutions at the international level.
Haas’ research includes theoretical and applied work regarding the role of organized science in international environmental protection and global governance in general. His most recent work has been focused on multilevel governance and the role of science in international environmental regimes.
The goal of Haas’ research is to discover political patterns by which national governments can cooperatively deal with global environmental threats.

“The most rewarding part about my work is my research,” Haas said. “Discovering political patterns to environmental threats and working to make it better is what I do.”
Haas has also participated as a consultant for government agencies such as the United Nations Environment Programme, United States Department of State, as well as the Commission on Global Governance among others.

The lecture series will then continue with speaker Frank F. Busta, invited at the suggestion of Professor Fergus Clydesdale. Clydesdale is a Distinguished Professor and the Chair of the Food Science Department. His life’s work includes efforts to increase the public’s confidence in the food supply by establishing guidelines that can be easily understood and evaluated. In addition, he has worked to establish scientifically based interpretations of both national and international food regulations and policy along with a wide spectrum of technological innovations to optimize physiological, functional, sensory and bioactive properties of food.

Clydesdale has been featured in 360 publications and has won many awards for his work, and was recently elected as a fellow to the International Academy of Food Science in 2006.
Professor Julie Caswell is hosting the fourth and final speaker, Parke Wilder. Caswell is a Professor and the Department Chair of Resource Economics at UMass Amherst. Her work involves understanding the operation of domestic and international food systems and evaluating the effects of government policy on their operation and performance. She also is interested in the effects of food labeling on the choices of consumers. Caswell is currently involved in several projects, including a project funded by the Canadian government to prioritize the regulation of foodborne risks. Her interest is in determining what percentage of the government’s budget should be allocated to different food safety risks. The assessments include public health risks in conjunction with trade, consumer perceptions, and how sensitive society is to particular risks. Other research is concerned with the delivery of food safety information to consumers in an effective and accurate manner.

“My goal for my research is to make public policy regarding food safety more effective and efficient,” Caswell said. “It’s a matter of concern for social welfare as well as for an appropriate allocation of the resources available.”

Caswell has written several books on the subjects of the economics of food quality and food certification, traceability, and labeling, as well as the impact of sanitary regulations on international trade in food products.

Caswell also actively works with federal agencies, international organizations, and groups of researchers to analyze the economic costs and benefits of government regulatory programs for food products. In addition, she has traveled to countries such as Brazil and Italy to teach courses on food systems based economics
The Environmental Lecture Series begins Monday, February 26, at 3:30pm with Molly Anderson. Anderson will speak to the topic of social and environmental pressures and their impact on planning and creating successful food systems. The remaining three lectures will be given March 13, April 3, and May 1. On the day of each respective lecture, the speakers will spend the day on the Amherst campus meeting with faculty and student groups.

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