Florida is a cultural, economic, and trade gateway to and from the United States. It is home to fertile foodsheds, a mosaic of cultures, and more than eighty distinct ecosystems shaped by human-environmental interactions. A place where the further north you go the more culturally southern it becomes, Florida has for hundreds of years reflected and been shaped by its neighbors in Central and South America and the Caribbean.
The 15th Annual SAFSF Forum in Gainesville, Florida will draw inspiration from the surrounding region, which has extensive cattle ranching, forestry, and aquaculture; the University of Florida—a land-grant university; and the largest convergence of first-magnitude freshwater springs in the world. Here, and like many places, issues critical to the world’s health and vitality flow together, creating clashes and synergies with the potential to impact our collective futures. The Forum will explore what it means to listen to and learn from the source, highlighting themes relevant to us all: gender, justice, immigration, and equity; agriculture, fisheries, and forestry; international, indigenous, and rural voices; water and climate change; land use and development; and more. Stories and lived experiences from community stakeholders, coupled with contextual data and analysis, will challenge, support, and equip us in our work as catalysts for transformation. Join us in Gainesville—“where nature and culture meet.”
Registration opens on April 3.
More information coming soon!
