Association for the Study
of Food and Society

Conference

The ASFS began to hold annual meetings in 1987. Since 1992, they have been held together with the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society (AFHVS). In 1996, the International Food Choice Conference joined them for their meeting in the United States and the Consortium for Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education co-sponsored the 1997 meeting. These annual meetings hold workshops, are opportunities to listen to and present papers and panels, chances to participate in roundtable discussions, and times to meet formally and informally with colleagues who hold similar or tangential interests.

Global Gateways and Local Connections:
Cities, Agriculture, and the Future of Food Systems

Wednesday June 20 - Sunday 24, 2012
New York University and The New School and - New York City

See NYU for More Details

As increasingly greater portions of the global population shifts towards urban environments, and cities position themselves as crucial hubs not only for food consumption, but also for its production and distribution, it becomes urgent for agriculture to reposition and reaffirm its strategic role in ensuring food security, access to governance, and acceptable livelihoods for all the actors involved. The theme of the conference highlights the need for more equitable and sustainable distribution of power and resources among various stakeholders, including those without a strong voice on the world's stage, such as the urban and rural poor, farmers, and migrants. In line with the call for sustainable development and green economies at the core of the Rio +20 United Nations gathering, the conference offers an opportunity for scholars, students, activists, farmers, practitioners, and concerned citizens to come together and explore innovative solutions and alternative models for creative, culturally viable, and environmentally sound integration of urban and rural food systems.

New York University and The New School have been at the forefront of the research, methodologies, and pedagogies that have shaped Food Studies, and have explored creative venues of public engagement to establish vital connections and a constructive dialogue between academia, the local communities, and the larger debates at the national and global level. We welcome not only scholarly sessions, but also encourage activists, government staff, farmers, and practitioners in food and agricultural systems to participate. Organizations, businesses, agencies, and publishers may also participate as exhibitors.

The conference website will be available soon, with more information, registration, and online submission of abstracts.

Organizer and Local Arrangements:

Jennifer Berg, New York University, jennifer.berg@nyu.edu
Fabio Parasecoli, The New School, parasecf@newschool.edu

Although our organizations encourage a broad spectrum of topics at our conferences, we especially encourage papers, posters, panel sessions, roundtables, and workshops that speak directly to the theme. We welcome not only academic sessions, but also strongly encourage activists, government staff, and those with practical knowledge of food and agricultural systems to participate. We welcome submissions on all aspects of food, nutrition, and agriculture, including those related to:

• Art, Media, & Literary Analyses
• Innovation & Development
• Culture & Cultural Geography
• Environment & Climate Change
• Agroecology & Conservation
• Ethics & Philosophy
• Food Safety & Risk
• Gender & Ethnicity
• Globalization
• History
• Inequality, Access, Security & Justice
• Indigenous Knowledge, Cultural Heritage and Local Traditions
• Local Food Systems
• Media and Communication
• Pedagogy
• Politics, Policies & Governance in National & Global Contexts
• Trade and Legal Issues
• Research Methods, Practices & Issues
• Social Action & Social Movements
• Sustainability
• Science & Technologies

Tours (tentative)

New York City has historically been the crucible for culinary traditions all over the world, social and political experimentation, innovative practices and an extremely vibrant restaurant scene. Our tentative plans include the following half- and full -day tours:

• # 7 train- Ride the iconic #7 train through Queens and experience the aromas and tastes of the most ethnically diverse county in the United States (full day)
• Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture- Take an air conditioned bus to Westchester County for a full day private guided tour of the 80 acre farm and enjoy a Dan Barber created lunch (full day)
• Coney Island and Brighton Beach- Ride the elevated BMT subway to Brighton Beach for a guided walking tour of "Little Odessa", NYC's largest Russian community. Enjoy breakfast picnic on the beach and then a walk along the boardwalk to Coney Island for rides, amusements and Nathan's Hot Dogs (full day)
• Rediscovering Red Hook - Enjoy a walking tour of Added Value, New York's original "asphalt garden" and then discussion and talk with founder, Ian Marvey. We'll have a shopping spree at the 52,000 square foot Fairway market and picnic on the docks overlooking the Statue of Liberty. Return to Manhattan in the Water Taxi (full day)
• East New York Farms and Community Gardens- Take the subway out to the economically-challenged community of East New York, Brooklyn and visit the non-profit farm and neighboring community gardens ( half day afternoon)
• Chocolate Tour- Join a chocolate historian on a subway ride out to Brooklyn to experience 3 varying chocolate producers: Mast brothers, Jo Mart and Tumbador- Chocolate tastings and demos (full day)
• Williamsburg Hipster- This is not the Williamsburg your grandparents knew- Ride the short L train to Bedford Avenue and explore artisanal food production and retail marketing including cheese, chocolate, pickles and charcuterie (half day- afternoon)
• Roof Top Farms- travel via subway to two significant urban farms: Eagle Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and Brooklyn Grange in Long Island City, Queens- lunch and talk at Roberta's (full day)
• Brooklyn Composting- Join our very own ASFS President, and Master Composter Annie Hauck-Lawson for half day foray into urban composting (half day).
• Central Park Foraging- Rise early for a morning forage through Central park and learn about the edible flora and fauna secretly tucked within Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux's 843 acre masterpiece- http://www.centralparknyc.org/ (half day morning)
• New York Public Library- Enjoy a private guided tour with Rebecca Federman, director of the expansive Culinary Collection at the New York Public Library's main research branch (half day- afternoon)
• Metropolitan Museum of Art- Join an art historian for a half day tour of food-centered work in the world-renowned metropolitan Museum (half day afternoon)
• Fermenting and Distilling in Brooklyn - Enjoy a Brooklyn day with liquid on your mind. Visit several beer, wine, and spirits' producers for talks, tastings and demos (full day)
• Hunts Point Terminal Market- Ride a private bus to Hunts Point Terminal Market in the Bronx , the world's largest wholesale market for a private tour through the 60 acre complex (half day)
• Queens Farm Museum- Ride an air conditioned bus to the 47 acre non-profit Queens Farm Museum , the longest continuously farmed land in New York State (half day)
• Governor's Island - Take the ferry to a 172 acre island in the middle of New York Harbor between Manhattan and Brooklyn - Bicycle tour through the island, stopping at historical markers along the way -picnic lunch included (pending weekday availability - full day)
• Taco Crawl in Sunset Park, Brooklyn- Take the subway to Sunset Park, New York- home to thousands of immigrants from Puebla, Mexico. Visit bodegas, tortillerias, and taco stands (half day)

Click here for Information From Past Conferences

© 2010 Association for the Study of Food & Society
Contact the webmaster