By: Dana Ferrante ’17

After a hugely successful conference last year, the Harvard Food Law Society and Food Literacy Project have decided to hold a Second Annual “Just Food?” Conference this March. While last year the conference focused mainly on social justice, this year public policy makers, professors, and farmers from across the US will gather to discuss issues of Land Use Rights and Ecology, in the pursuit of a more just food system.

The goal of the conference is to examine the interaction we as humans have on the land, specifically in terms of how food policy and agriculture practices affect our environment. Whether you are an ESPP concentrator, or are just interested in food, the conference is geared towards all levels of familiarity with the food system, exploring humanity’s impact on the land in terms of environment, economy, policy, history, human health, and ethics. In order to accomplish this, the conference takes the most ‘just’ choice, bringing people from all across the food system (farmers, scholars, activists, public policy makers) in one place in order to give the most nuanced perspective of how our food system affects us all.

Held completely at Harvard Law School, conference events will begin on the afternoon of Friday March 25th and will continue for a full-day of events on Saturday March 26th. Featuring both lectures, live music, local food, workshops, film screenings, poster sessions, and opportunities to network, the conference is sure to be be both eye-opening and highly-interactive.  

While the full schedule is not yet published, the conference has announced the three keynote speakers, which are as follows: Smite Narula (from the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College), Anuradha Mittal (Founder and Executive Director of the Oakland Institute, an independent policy think tank), and Jo Guldi (historian of property rights and agronomy in England). All experts in man’s relationship to land, these speakers will frame the importance of land use and ecology in the larger food system.

Tickets are now on sale here until February 25th. Since the conference is run on-campus, Harvard students receive a huge discount on the tickets, having to pay only $12 for the entire weekend. With general admission tickets priced at $49 a pop, the student price is really a good deal on an opportunity you should not pass up!

Check out the website here to find out more details about the conference, speakers, logistics, etc.