Ostrom supports research for equitable food systems as new Society president

Head shot of Ostrom
Marcia Ostrom, WSU School of the Environment.

Helping create a more equitable and sustainable food system, Dr. Marcia Ostrom, associate professor in the School of the Environment and CAHNRS faculty member, is the newest President of the Agricultural, Food, and Human Values Society.

Installed at the society’s annual meeting this summer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ostrom will help lead the organization for the next two years.

“I’m honored to give back to an organization that has shaped my work since I was a graduate student,” Ostrom said. “I hope to inspire incoming scholars to achieve engaged, critical scholarship on our most pressing environmental and social problems in food and agriculture.”

Founded in 1987, the Agricultural, Food, and Human Values Society promotes the interdisciplinary study of the environmental, social, and economic values associated with the production, consumption, and distribution of food, fiber, and natural resources. Publishing the journal “Agriculture and Human Values,” the professional society advances an ethical, social, and ecological understanding of agriculture and food systems.

As president, Ostrom’s goals are to grow society membership, strengthen its finances, and develop membership benefits that go beyond the annual conference and journal.

Ostrom, with hand on chin, listening at a table with group of people.
Dr. Ostrom listens during announcement of election results at last year’s AFHVS annual meeting

“Involvement in the Society offers an invigorating platform for gaining new knowledge, exchanging and forming new ideas, and learning from mentors,” she said. “I continue to learn from my colleagues about the critical roles that academic faculty can play in building a deeper understanding of how issues like racism and social injustice impact food and agricultural systems.”

In the School of the Environment, Ostrom teaches courses on sustainable food and farming systems, agroecology, environmental and natural resource sociology, agricultural policy, and social movements in agriculture. She leads interdisciplinary research and extension teams focused on understanding and improving the sustainability, equitability, and resilience of farming and regionally-based food systems.

The 2019 annual meeting will be held in Anchorage, Alaska, and will feature sessions and a keynote on tribal food sovereignty.

  • Learn more about the society here.