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The Experience
From Seed Bank to Farm to Plate
25 September
3 - 9 PM
On the “Global Day of Action” for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, you are invited to virtually join chefs, media, farmers, seed savers, educators, policy makers and consumers in an immersive experience designed to raise awareness of the importance of crop diversity and its connection to healthy soils and resilient, sustainable agricultural systems. Throughout the event, we will showcase what the future of food could be like if we conserve and use the amazing diversity of our foods.
Hosted by the Food Forever Initiative in partnership with Pocono Organics, Rodale Institute, and the Crop Trust, the Experience will be the first of its kind, and stream digital content from around the world, including from the farm at Pocono Organics, to the fields of the Rodale Institute, to genebanks, to chefs’ kitchens and many places in between.
Participants will also be the first audience to learn of new research findings presented by Rodale Institute which will use this occasion to announce a global white paper that looks at the potential of Regenerative Organic Agriculture to reduce emissions and maximize carbon sequestration in soils - as one solution to the climate crisis.
Speakers
Douglas Gayeton
Co-Founder & Chief Investigator,
The Lexicon
Zach Wolf
Farm Manager,
Caney Fork Farms
Dina Deleasa-Gonsar



Jeff Moyer
CEO, Rodale Institute

Cary Fowler
Renowned Agriculturalist and Crop Trust Former Executive
Birgit Cameron
Managing Director, Patagonia Provisions

Zach Bush
Founder, Seraphic Group &
Farmers Footprint

Danielle Nierenberg
President, Food Tank

Dr. Éliane Ubalijoro
Crop Trust Board Member

Tom Newmark
Chairman, The Carbon Underground

Dr. Yichao Rui
Soil Scientist, The Rodale Institute
Ska Mirriam Moteane
Chef, Consultant & Cookbook Author
Christa Essig
Global Sustainability Initiatives Manager, Compass
Robynne Anderson
Founder,
Emerging Ag Inc.
*Event MC
Dorothy Shaver
Global Sustainability Lead, Knorr and Registered Dietitian, Unilever

Emily Rose Haga
Executive Director, Seed Savers Exchange
Pierre Thiam
Chef, Author, & Social Activist,
Teranga, Yolélé

Dr. Ismahane Elouafi
Director General,
International Center for Biosaline Agriculture
Erik Oberholtzer
Chef & Advisor
Cohere, Tender Greens
Jeff Tkach
Chief Impact Officer,
Rodale Institute

Dan Barber
Chef and Co-owner of Blue Hill, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Row 7 Seed Company

Ashley Walsh
Founder & President,
Pocono Organics

Stefan Schmitz
Executive Director, The Crop Trust



Partners
15+
Global Leaders
5+
Thematic Discussion
1
Mission
Creator, Writer, TV Personality,
DishItGirl.com
The Program:
— 10:00 AM —
Welcome
Ashley Walsh, Founder & President, Pocono Organics
Are we on the right track? Feeding 9 Billion People by 2050
Stefan Schmitz, Crop Trust Executive Director
Agrobiodiversity as a Resource for Food Security
Cary Fowler, Renowned Agriculturalist
Turn One: Conservation & the Role of Genebanks
How can seeds help us feed a growing global population in the midst of unprecedented agricultural challenges? What is the role of seed banks and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and why do we need a global system of conservation and use to end hunger by 2030. A conversation with:
-
Emily Rose Haga, Seed Savers Exchange
-
Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, International Center for Biosaline Agriculture
-
Eliane Ubajigoro, Crop Trust Board Member
— 11:00 AM —
Message for Chef Pierre Thiam
Rodale Institute Global White Paper Announcement
Jeff Moyer, CEO of Rodale Insitute & Tom Newmark, Founder & Chair of the Carbon Underground
Turn Two: From Seed Bank to Farm to Table
What if forward-thinking chefs joined a network of farmers to bring uncommon crops to a new audience of diners starving for food-source connection and food diversity? In this lap, you’ll hear directly from farmers and chefs alike on how they are using seed banks and other resources to grow, eat and celebrate local biodiversity and face the climate crisis. A conversation with:
-
Zach Wolf, Farm Manager Caney Fork Farms
-
Chef Erik Oberholtzer, Co-founder Tender Greens
-
Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank
-
Dr. Yichao Rui, Soil Scientist Rodale Institue
Chefs as Drivers of Change
Chef Dan Barber, Chef and Co-owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barnes and the Co-founder Row 7 Seeds Co.
Message from Chef Ska Mirriam Moteane
Human and Planetary Transformation through Regenerative Agriculture
Zach Bush, Founder, Seraphic Group & Farmer's Footprint
— 12:00 PM —
Keynote
Birgit Cameron, Managing Director of Patagonia Provisions
Agrobiodiversity as a Driver for Competitiveness of Business & Development
There is a strong business case underpinning greater investment in crop conservation. By utilizing the wealth of diversity available, companies can create and access lucrative, niche markets and differentiate their brands. This lap will look at supply chains and how the private sector can help catalyze a shift in our food systems by helping to build markets for diverse ingredients and support sustainable sourcing. A conversation with April Redmond, Unilever-Knoor and other executive and industry leaders to be announced.
-
Dorothy Shaver, Global Sustainability Lead, Knorr and Registered Dietitian, Unilever
-
Douglas Gayeton, Co-Founder & Chief Investigator, The Lexicon
-
Christa Essig, Global Sustainability Initiatives Manager, Compass
-
Robynne Anderson, President, Emerging ag