Sustainable Agriculture Education Association (SAEA)
The Sustainable Agriculture Education Association (SAEA) affirms, above all, that food systems sustainability requires the realization of equity and justice. It works to support the principles of equality, dignity, and fairness rooted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations. We share these values with the Inter-Institutional Network for Food, Agriculture, and Sustainability (INFAS) network, whose Statement on Equity in the Food System many of our members helped compose. The INFAS statement recognizes the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability. It places an explicit focus on dismantling structural racism in food systems, and on challenging the multiple forms of oppression - class, race, gender, nationality, among others - that serve as interrelated barriers to equity.
Company details
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- Business Type:
- Professional association
- Industry Type:
- Agriculture
- Market Focus:
- Globally (various continents)
About Us
As an organization whose mission is grounded in higher education, SAEA acknowledges and endorses teaching and learning as a vital means to overcoming systems of oppression. Principles and practices that SAEA promotes include:
We believe there is no such thing as passive anti-racism. Educators must be proactive in dismantling racism and patriarchy and its consequences for our agricultural and food systems. We also believe that educators must work to acknowledge the ever-present legacy of colonization, assimilation, and genocide of Indigenous nations; African-American slavery in building agrarian economies; and the exploitation of women (particularly, women of color) in growing food, feeding families, and sustaining labor across food systems.
SAEA affirms such traditions both for their intrinsic value and for what they can teach industrialized society about reviving non-individualistic norms, communal customs, and sharing of land, water, and seeds. As an organization, we stand in solidarity with Indigenous peoples, and promote critical pedagogy to expand understanding of the social, agro-ecological, and political-economic challenges Indigenous communities face. We also recognize, prima facie, the sovereignty of Indigenous and First Nation peoples over their lands and food systems.
Without diminishing the empirical and analytic traditions of western science, we de-center its primacy in order to make space for other perspectives and ways of knowing. This includes (but is not limited to) advancing pedagogical practices that explore the history and traditions of Indigenous peoples, creating courses and curricula that integrate de-colonizing food systems theory and practice, and developing conferences that intentionally bring together scientists/academics, farmers, farm- and food workers, and Indigenous peoples from the host location.
Recognizing that human and non-human values are implicit in all conceptions of alternative food and agricultural systems, the SAEA endorses both formal and informal study of ethics and philosophy. These may run the gamut from studies of Western moral philosophy to traditional ecological knowledge, from engagements with the values of neoliberalism to those of heterodox economic thought. SAEA encourages the creation of courses and program curricula that spark students’ imaginations, engage them in systematic – and systemic – examination of values and decision-making related to food, agriculture, the environment, human rights, and the status of non-human life. We encourage faculty and university programs to train students to analyze and deliberate upon the relevance and applicability of a range of ethical positions to contemporary issues in food, agriculture and the environment..
We recognize that de-centering western science and whiteness/light-skinned privilege will require regular reassessment of our organization’s membership and leadership (that is, the steering committee). Specifically, we look to include educators representing people of color, youth, women, and economically disadvantaged communities in our membership and governance committees. We also strive for diversity in age, gender and sexuality (including LGBTQ), level of education, and geographical and cultural backgrounds. As representation is not just about demographics but about whose voice is heard, whose face is seen, and whose ideas are deemed legitimate. We strive for radical equity amongst those empowered to take action and make change within and through the SAEA organization.
Recognizing different ways of being (ontology) as valid, and positioning diverse ways of knowing (epistemology) as legitimate requires patience, humility, and iteration over time. The process will not always be smooth and there are certain to be conflicts and contradictions, even among like-minded groups. We believe this learning process to be fundamental to SAEA’s mission, and are prepared to support this equity work in our own organization and at the member level through a wide variety of SAEA activities. These include (but are not limited to) our biannual conferences, our curriculum library, and our professional development workshops and webinars.
Goals
The goals of the Association are as follows:
- Promote and advocate the establishment of sustainable agriculture education programs.
- Promote the collaborative development and exchange of curricula, best educational and experiential learning practices, and research related to the teaching and learning of sustainable agriculture.
- Provide public forums for addressing issues in sustainable agriculture education teaching and learning.
- Serve as a vibrant network for individuals and organizations involved in sustainable agriculture education.
- Engage in activities to aid the professional development of sustainable agriculture educators and students.
- Serve as an advocate for sustainable agriculture in other contexts and in collaboration with other organizations relevant to sustainable agriculture education.
- Obtain public and private funds to collaboratively develop and exchange sustainable agriculture education and curricula at all educational levels and with the general public.
- Attract talented, bright individuals to teach and work in the field of sustainable agriculture.
- Contribute to the growth of sustainable agriculture in the U.S. and abroad (within grassroots and educational institutions, farms, businesses, etc.).
Functions
The functions of the Association are as follows:
- Provide opportunities (workshops, symposia, conferences, short courses, etc.) to learn about and develop sustainable agriculture education programs.
- Maintain a bibliography and/or library of sustainable agriculture education curriculum materials.
- Publish a newsletter to share information about sustainable agricultural education information.
- Host national conferences to provide forums for professional development, networking, advocacy activities and publishing of proceedings.
- Publish a series, journal or other publication, independently or with other organizations, to publicize scholarly research on sustainable agriculture education.
- Advocate for resources to promote sustainable agriculture education.
- Communicate with high school and college students about the opportunities within sustainable agriculture education.
- Maintain an organizational web site for communication and exchange of sustainable agriculture education information.
SAEA History
A brief look back in time takes us to 2002, when a group called the College Farms Sustainable Agriculture Educators Working Group, with the support of the Kellogg-funded California Food and Fiber Futures (CF3) project, started working on a number of projects and holding workshops at the annual Ecological Farming Conferences in California.
The idea of a multi-day event that served the broader sustainable agriculture education community was proposed at the 2005 meeting. Surveys conducted at US institutions revealed the enthusiasm and support for a national sustainable agriculture education conference to serve the further development of experiential sustainable agriculture education and college farms.
The confidence and effort of these group resulted in the first annual conference, a successful 100% interactive conference held in January 2006 in Pacific Grove, California. Attendance exceeded 140 people, including students, faculty, staff and administrators from over 50 colleges and universities, and 15 statewide and national sustainable agriculture organizations.
Based on post-conference evaluations, the 2006 conference was a great success, exceeding expectations in both attendance and active participation. One of the main outcomes was the launching of a professional association for the advancement of sustainable agriculturand agroecology in education.
To start, an Implementation Sub-Committee (ISC) was formed to examine the viability of, and, as appropriate, establish, such an organization. The ISC voted to form the Sustainable Agriculture Education Association (SAEA) and from that moment on, members worked to initiate and organize both the administrative elements of SAEA and the 2007 SAEA conference. Hence, the launching of a professional association for the advancement of sustainable agriculture and agroecology in education, the Sustainable Agriculture Education Association, was the direct, concrete outcome of that 2006 first annual conference.
The next key step was the 2007 SAEA conference in Ithaca, NY with the support of Cornell University, the Pennsylvania State University and the Rodale Institute. The conference brought more than 200 participants to share their experiences in teaching and to exchange ideas on the future of sustainable agriculture education.
A key outcome was a structural organization for SAEA and the delegation of responsibilities to volunteers and specific committees. The commitment to forming the organization was solidified and the ball was rolling. The efforts of the committees and leadership of the temporary steering committee was central to the approval of the bylaws and to obtaining official 501(c)(3) status. From here on, we invite you to continue making this a reality by joining this adventure as a member, volunteer, and participant of the next conference.
Conference Purpose
The goal of convening national conferences is to encourage the continued development of learning and teaching within sustainable agriculture programs by facilitating a national dialogue.
Our conferences create a stimulating working environment in which faculty, students, staff and administrators feel free to share ideas and questions. Conference participants discuss what they have done and want to do in their education programs, what works, what doesn’t work, and what educational resources they have found most valuable.
We take a critical look at our programmatic goals and objectives, and assess how well we have been meeting our needs and interests as students, educators, and society, now and into the future. We share and explore teaching and educational ideas, practices, and theories. We discuss opportunities and challenges and how to best approach them.
Within the structure of our conferences, we form a community of practice. We enable educators, administrators and students to meet each other, learn from each other and, if and as it suits them, develop collaborations and working relationships across geographical, disciplinary and other boundaries. In doing so it is our hope that collectively we can encourage the development of educational programs that focus on learning, student self-empowerment, and the development of knowledge and skills needed to achieve more sustainable food and agricultural systems.