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COMING UP NEXT

Food System Transformation as a Response to Climate Change

Presented by Michelle Miller

Wednesday, April 3, 2024, 7:00 pm

Goodman Community Center, 149 Waubesa Street, Madison, WI 53704

The world is organizing around food system transformation as an urgent response to climate change. The United Nations Climate Change Conference (known as COP 27) that was held in November 2023 brought together NGOs to discuss what it means to de-carbonize our food systems in the context of just transitions. But what does that mean for Wisconsin? Several projects are in the works to regionalize food systems, perennialize agriculture where possible, create opportunities to negotiate trade offs, and improve communication between our farmers, processers, retailers and restaurants. Most recently, Wisconsin received $28 million from USDA to support capital improvements to our infrastructure and the expected deluge of proposals is testament to the need for infrastructure to create space for our entrepreneurial spirit to emerge. This talk will lay out some of the major food system transformation efforts in play and discuss concerns for our food systems.

Michelle Miller works as a practicing economic anthropologist engaged in participatory action research on food systems. She has worked on food systems issues since co-authoring the Cornucopia Report on Wisconsin’s Food System as a UW student in 1982. She worked in state government and for World Wildlife Fund, as well as on farms, as a private chef and for restaurants, before working at the UW’s research center for sustainable agriculture, the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems. Current projects focus on agriculture of the middle and regional food economies, food distribution and supply networks, Smart Foodsheds, resiliency and climate change.

Michelle was born and raised in Wisconsin, a third generation Farmers Union member and a graduate of the Farmers Union Youth program. She is an active member of multiple cooperatives meeting health, banking, housing and grocery needs. Michelle spent almost two decades studying Great Lakes ethnobotany with Keewaydinoquay, a Michigan Anishinaabe Elder. She has spent a lifetime dancing (ballet, folk, modern) and exploring improvisational arts. In addition to spending time in northern forests, Michelle enjoys water sports, biking, poetry, and frequenting museums. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Got questions? Email chewwisconsin@gmail.com

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Join us for CHEW meetings, which typically meet on the first Wednesday of each month (except August) at the Goodman Community Center (Ironworks Bldg.), 149 Waubesa, Madison, WI. Meetings are free and open to the public and  feature invited speakers, lively discussions, sometimes food samplings  and more. See below for info about our newsletter, membership, traveling library and more.

Newsletter – To receive our email newsletter, send us a note at chewwisconsin@gmail.com. To view an issue, visit https://static-promote.weebly.com/share/9804d608-547d-4a18-9968-5e24c065c8e7

Membership –  For info about why and how to join CHEW, click here.

bookshelfCHEW Library – One of the benefits of in-person CHEW meetings is access to CHEW’s traveling library. Our collection totals almost 125 titles, ranging from James Beard award winner The Sioux’s Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen to the very drinkable Bottoms Up: A Toast to Wisconsin’s Historic Bars and Breweries. To peruse all the book titles in our library, click Culinary. You can put in an “order” for a specific book by emailing chewwisconsin@gmail.com.  The book will be brought to the next in-person meeting (if it hasn’t already been checked out). Several titles will also be featured at each meeting–you’ll hear a short review and will have the opportunity to check one of the featured titles out for a month.

Facebook – We also invite you to join CHEW on Facebook, for fascinating food links, discussions and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/chewwis/