What does it mean to build a just and sustainable Agroecological City? Over this past year, the pandemic, climate disruptions and ongoing harm caused by racial violence have challenged our urban communities and food systems in unprecedented ways. Pathways for healing and community resilience can be found in many urban farms. An upcoming free, online conference, The Agroecological City: Sovereignty, Resilience, and the Future of Food, seeks to engage in critical conversations around what it means to build a just, sustainable and resilient Agroecological City.

The multi-track event will take place from March 2-11. Join urban farmers, food and farming justice advocates, policy makers, educators, community organizers, and engaged citizens to share strategies for strengthening our urban food and farming systems. Although the event has a strong focus on urban farms in the Bay Area, it will be valuable to anyone interested in urban agroecology, regardless of their geographic location. Through panel discussions and break-out sessions over two weeks, participants will have the opportunity to:

• Turn over ideas for different and innovative pathways to access land for urban farming
• Dig into the intersection of food and land stewardship for community healing and Just Transitions
• Explore the latest agroecological research and policy work alongside educational institutions in farm and food system resilience and more!

Throughout all these themes, the commitment to food justice is paramount. Organizers and guest speakers will weave in discussions of power, race, class, health, and wellbeing, and will invite participant contributions to these urgent conversations. Register for one or more free sessions, which include:

Day 1: Ancestral healing through food and land: A peer-to-peer workshop

Day 2: Innovative land access for urban farming: private partnerships

Day 3: Innovative land access for urban farming: Public partnerships

Day 3: Challenges and Opportunities within the Role of Education in Urban Agroecology

Day 4: Just Transition to Agroecology: Transferring power and restoring sovereignty to BIPOC land stewards

Day 5: Innovative land access for urban farming: Legal & policy dimensions

Day 6: Strengthening Agroecological Resilience in the City

Find out more about each event within the conference here: https://nature.berkeley.edu/growingroots/agroeco-conference-2021/. The conference is organized by UC Berkeley Growing Roots, UC Berkeley Food Institute, UC ANR, and other partners.