[SILS Faculty Seminar] Rice and Greens: Food and Farming Futures for the Anthropocene

Have you eaten (rice) today? For rice-eating communities worldwide, many social encounters begin with this question. Rice – accompanied often with culturally specific green vegetables – occupies a key role in global-local food security, dynamic culinary cultures, and planetary biodiversity. Both as plant, and food staple, oryza sativa irrevocably shaped demographic, cultural, ritual, socio-linguistic, and multi-species landscapes. Despite dietary globalizations and nutritional disruptions, the production and consumption of rice remains seminal for livelihoods, identities, and cuisines. Yet, in this era of the Anthropocene, the bio-cultural diversities of heirloom rice – and of many vegetables face imminent threats of ‘extinction’. In this presentation, I will introduce my multi-disciplinary research that transcends the humanities, arts, and social sciences to showcase diverse movements of solidarity, resistance, and innovation – from community gardeners to ecological farmers – which together strive for better futures. I also discuss how in the unique space of the Culinaria Research Centre, our multidisciplinary program mentors students toward the pleasure, excitement, and engaged learning that is possible via a study of food cultures and food ecologies.