Looking for Presenters on Sustainable Agriculture

Antioch University New England's Center for Tropical Ecology & Conservation is pleased to announce its 4th annual symposium, which will be held on October 28 and focus on "Banking on Biodiversity: The Ecological and Socio-Economic Dimensions of Sustainable Agriculture."

I'm mentioning this now because the Center is currently making a call for presentation proposals. It is posted below:

A Call for Presentation Proposals:

The purpose of this symposium is to bring together farmers, activists, educators and conservation biologists to discuss ways in which agricultural systems can benefit both human and non-human ecological communities while remaining economically viable for farmers.

The Center for Tropical Ecology and Conservation (CTEC) is currently accepting proposals for lecture, panel and poster presentations that address the following symposium goals:

I. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of current agricultural practices in terms of 1) their ability to support ecological systems and ecosystem services (including soil and water conservation, nutrient cycling, carbon-sequestration, native species habitat, & riparian buffers) and 2) their economic viability.

II. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of organizations or programs dedicated to bridging the Ecology-Economy interface on farms in New England and in the tropics.

III. Discuss the role that sustainable agriculture plays in community-building and land stewardship in New England and the tropics. Examples may include urban farming projects, CSA’s, farmers markets, community food cooperatives, and folk schools.

Submission Guidelines

For each submission (multiple submissions will be considered), please include:

* Your complete contact information (name, address, phone-number, affiliation(s), e-mail address, affiliation website—if available).

* The symposium goal you seek to address.

* The proposed format of your presentation (poster, panel, lecture).

* A 300 word (or less) abstract outlining your presentation goals.

* Two or three potential discussion questions related to your
submission.

The deadline for proposals is: August 10, 2006. All submissions should be sent electronically to the symposium coordinator, Christine Armiger, and use the subject line: “Submission: CTEC Fall Symposium.”