Dr. Samina Raja’s newly published paper, ‘Rust Belt Radicals’, was recently featured in the UB News Center.  The article features an interview with Dr. Raja discussing how Buffalo, one of the country’s most impoverished cities, became a leader in urban agriculture.  Through the work of many activists focusing on engaging policymakers and amending local laws, Buffalo has made extraordinary strides in the past decade.  Read the full article here and find out about seven ways to get food noticed in your city.

Food For All and the Network of Religious Communities are hosting the Faith and Hunger Conference on Thursday, November 6th at 5:30, at St. Gregory the Great Parish.  The presentation will focus on how the Roman Catholic, Ahmadiyya Muslim, and Jewish communities have responded to hunger in their communities.

Dr. Dennis Castillo from Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora, will be the keynote speaking on the Catholic Church’s response to hunger from a global and local perspective.  Dr. Nasir Khan will speak from the Ahmadiyya Muslim perspective.

There will be time allotted for questions.

Space is limited.  Those who wish to attend need to RSVP to Kelly Kowalski of the Network of Religious Communities at KellyAnnKK@aol.com or (716) 882-7705.

The event will be held in the Gathering Room of St. Gregory the Great Parish located at 200 St. Gregory Court, Williamsville, NY 14221.

The Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab presents Climate Change and the Future of Food on Friday, October 10th at 2pm in 114 Wende Hall on UB’s South Campus.

Dr. David W. Wolfe is Professor of Plant and Soil Ecology in the Department of Horticulture at Cornell University, and a leading authority on climate change impacts on natural ecosystems and food security. He has co-authored several influential reports for policy-makers, such as the 2014 National Climate Assessment sponsored by the U.S. Global Change Research Program. He currently leads a $5 M USDA project focused on new tools for greenhouse gas management in agroecosystems, and contributes to several soil conservation and climate change adaptation projects in the Ethiopia, Malawi, and Tanzania.  At Cornell he teaches “Climate Change and the Future of Food” and chairs the Atkinson Center Climate Change Focus Group.  He has been featured on National Public Radio and other news media outlets, and is author of the award-winning book on soil ecology for general audiences, Tales From the Underground: A Natural History of Subterranean Life.

Following the presentation, a facilitated Q & A session will take place.  Please direct questions to Subhashni Raj at subhashn@buffalo.edu

Read more about Dr. Wolfe here: www.hort.cornell.edu/wolfe; www.climatechange.cornell.edu; http://soilhealth.cals.cornell.edu; www.nyserda.ny.gov/climaid

The New York State Council on Food Policy will be hosting its annual summer meeting and listening session Wednesday, July 23 in Council Chambers at Buffalo City Hall. “Farm, Food and Policy: Getting it Right in New York State” will include a presentation by the newly formed Buffalo and Erie County Food Policy Council, the Food Justice Working Group of One Region Forward, and the Growing Food Connections Project.  The session will run from 10am to 4:30pm and is open to the pubic.  More information on the event can be found here. 

The current issue of the American Planning Association’s publication, Planning, highlights several local food-based community case studies.

Healthier, Wealthier, and Wiser-Local food systems provide more than one kind of sustenance. 

Travis Norton, a Research Project Coordinator at the Food Lab, was recently honored with two awards at University of Buffalo’s Masters of Urban Planning graduation.  The Western New York Division of the American Institute of Certified Planners recognized Travis with the AICP Excellence Award for having the highest promise for professional excellence.  Additionally, the University of Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning also honored Travis with the Academic Excellence Award for having the highest GPA in the program.

Much of Travis’ work focuses on transportation issues.  His interests lie in the linkages between the built environment and human behavior, including the connections between transportation systems, health, and sustainability.  He is currently managing the Food Lab’s Safe Routes to School Program with Sweet Home Central School District and has been instrumental in the creation of Growing Together, part of One Region Forward, a report on creating sustainable food access and justice for Erie and Niagara Counties.

June 23, 2014

Will Becker, a dual Master of Architecture and Master of Urban Planning candidate, was recently featured in B/a+p Spring Magazine’s Student Profile.  A research assistant in the Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab, he is part of the Growing Food Connections Project.  His work focuses on documenting practices in GFC’s “Communities of Innovation“.  His design focus brings a fresh approach to the Food Lab.

Read the full article to learn more about Will’s work both in the lab and in the School of Architecture and Planning.