Grassland 2.0 is once again hosting our monthly Digital Dialogue webinar series!
In the fall of 2021 the Digital Dialogues Series focused on what makes a healthy agroecosystem. This spring, we are changing lanes and will be focusing on the levers of change for our agricultural system.
The last edition was scheduled Tuesday, May 17 from 12-1:30PM and featured Armando Ibarra, Professor in the School for Workers and Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Professor Ibarra serves as a Faculty Latino Specialist for the Division of Extension, as a Research Affiliate in the Applied Population Laboratory, and as an affiliate faculty in the Labor Center at UMASS Amherst. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine, and joined the UW in January 2011. Ibarra also holds a Master’s in Public Administration, and a B.A. Sociology and Spanish. Prof. Ibarra has extensive and diverse teaching, research and organizing experience.
Armando discussed “Latinx Communities, Census Counts, and Labels”. The 2020 Census shows that the Latinx population remains the second largest minoritized ethnic or racial group in Wisconsin, comprising nearly 7.6% of the total population. At 13.2%, Latinx students are the second largest student population in the public school system. Using primary and secondary data, this presentation will discuss factors that contribute to Latinx population dynamics and implications for social change, the importance of understanding labels used to categorize people, and the challenges and inequities faced by many within this community. The presentation also includes voices from Latinx communities that speak to their Wisconsin experience.
The first Digital Dialogue of the spring featured Austin Frerick who presented on “Wall Street’s Farm Bill” on Tuesday, February 15th. Frerick is the Deputy Director of the Thurman Arnold Project at Yale University and a Senior Fellow at Data for Progress. View a recording of Austin’s presentation on Grassland 2.0’s YouTube channel.
The second Digital Dialogue featured Martye Griffin, Director of Ecosystem Services at the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District. Martye discussed the Yahara WINS project, and how it was pitched to achieve the successes the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District is currently seeing. Martye described how the project works, including measurement and verification of water quality improvements, and what’s to come across the 20-year lifespan of the project. Watch a recording of Martye’s Digital Dialogue on our Youtube Channel.
The third Digital Dialogue featured Peter Lehner, Managing Attorney of Earthjustice’s Sustainable Food & Farming program and co-author of the recent Farming for Our Future; the Science, Law, and Policy of Climate-Neutral Agriculture. Peter discussed agriculture’s contribution to and risks from climate change and the practices and policies that can help. Watch a recording of Peter’s Digital Dialogue here.
Each talk will be 45-minutes followed by 45-minutes of questions and answers and group discussion. You won’t want to miss this great line-up of engaging speakers!