Dr. Samina Raja is a global leader in food systems planning. Her research and leadership has empowered not only communities of color in her hometown of Buffalo, NY, but throughout the U.S. and global south. She is the founder of the Food Lab at University of Buffalo, supporting food systems researchers in service of vulnerable communities and Growing Food Connections, a national network of food system planners. She is a native of Kashmir, India and is a Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Buffalo.

Food systems planning may be a nascent field, but it’s of crucial importance for scaling sustainable agriculture and improving food access and economic opportunity in communities of color. While there are many academic, nonprofit, and government organizations devoted to studying the food system, very few partner with low-income and communities of color to create lasting change. Samina Raja’s innovative work provides a welcome blueprint for researchers who seek such partnerships, however unlikely they may appear at first glance.

In her keynote, FOOD SYSTEMS AS IF PEOPLE MATTER (FOR POLICY), Dr. Raja will highlight the necessity for building inclusive and humane food systems through people-centered policy. People-centered policies (ideally) create structures where all food systems stakeholders belong, where discourse is civil, and practices are humane.  Dr. Raja will draw on lessons from across the US and the Global South to share insights and cautionary notes about the future of food systems.

To learn more and register for the conference, visit our conference webpages.