Photo courtesy of Colin Anderson at the U.N. Food Security meeting in Rome. Anderson is Co-Director of the UVM Institute for Agroecology and Associate Research Professor in the Department of Agriculture, Landscape and Environment in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Vermont Business Magazine University of Vermont researcher Colin Anderson is in Rome to join the United Nations' Committee on World Food Security's (CFS) High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE).
Anderson is one of only two U.S. researchers invited to be on the influential panel and one of only five North Americans. He is co-director of UVM’s Institute for Agroecology and associate research professor in UVM's Department of Agriculture, Landscape and Environment.
The HLPE, which started this week, is the U.N. body responsible for providing independent, evidence-based scientific analysis to inform global food security and nutrition policy. The panel’s reports play a pivotal role in shaping global discussions on food security and sustainable agriculture.
The upcoming "Building Resilient Food Systems" report, which Anderson will help draft during the meeting, will be central to the CFS’s program of work for 2024-2027 and is expected to guide policy development at both global and regional levels.
“In the face of growing shocks and stressors from climate change, Vermont and New England communities are looking for solutions to build equitable resilience,” said Anderson. “This report will be relevant and linked directly to our work in the region, including our project funded by the UVM Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships, where we are collaborating with communities in the Northeast Kingdom to assess and build food systems that are resilient to the effects of the climate crisis.”
The CFS’s inclusive and transparent process for developing HLPE reports ensures broad engagement with stakeholders, including civil society, indigenous peoples, and policymakers from around the world. Past HLPE reports, such as the 2019 flagship publication on “Agroecology and Other Innovative Approaches," have been instrumental in advancing global discourse on agroecology and influencing policy frameworks aimed at building sustainable and resilient food systems.
UVM’s Institute for Agroecology (IfA) has long been committed to advancing transformative agroecology through research, education, outreach, and policy work. As a leading voice in the global agroecology movement, the Institute’s mission aligns closely with the HLPE’s focus on fostering more sustainable, equitable, and resilient food systems worldwide. Anderson’s participation in the HLPE drafting team reinforces the IfA’s commitment to driving change in global food policy and advancing agroecology in key international debates.
“We are excited and proud that Colin Anderson has been selected to contribute to this important international endeavor,” said V. Ernesto Mendéz, Faculty Director of the Institute for Agroecology. “This invitation speaks to Colin’s exceptional scholarship, expertise, and leadership in agroecology, as well as the significant impact of the Institute’s work. We look forward to seeing the valuable contributions that Colin and the HLPE team will make toward advancing resilient food systems globally.”
About UVM's Institute for Agroecology (IfA):
The Institute for Agroecology (IfA) is a leading research and policy institute dedicated to advancing agroecology as a transformative approach to food production, sustainability, and food justice. Through research, education, and advocacy, the IfA promotes agroecological practices that are ecologically sound, socially just, and economically viable, working at the intersection of science, policy, and practice to advance food systems transformation at local, national, and global levels.