Photographs of produce composting in fields, juxtaposed with images of sparsely stocked supermarket shelves and lengthy lines at food banks. Meatpacking plants declared essential businesses – and also hotspots of infection. The pandemic has made the vulnerabilities and inequities of our food systems impossible to ignore.

How might we build more resilient, equitable food systems? Join our guests for a conversation exploring this urgent and complicated question. We’ll dig into the continuum of global to local food systems, implications for sustainability in supply chains, and creating a system that serves us all.

This panel’s speakers:

• Jennifer Schmitt, IonE Lead Scientist who specializes in agricultural supply chain sustainability across the U.S. meat and commodity crop sectors.
• Kathy Draeger, Statewide Director U of M Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships. Research includes rural food distribution, local and regional food distribution, and rural grocery store persistence.
• Chris Fields, President, Fields Produce & Foods Inc
• Moderated by Melissa Kenney, IonE Associate Director for Knowledge Initiatives and expert in sustainability decision support

RSVP here via Eventbrite to reserve your ticket and access the Zoom link!