Connecting the Dots: Rob Verchick and Laurie Ristino Talk Food Security and Climate Change

CPR President Rob Verchick recently sat down to talk with one of our newest Member Scholars, Professor Laurie Ristino of Vermont Law School, about the connections between climate change, food security, and policymaking tools like the Farm Bill that could be better used to promote sustainable agricultural practices.

We’re excited to share an audio recording of that conversation here as a “soft launch” of a new product at CPR – our “Connect the Dots” podcast. It’s a work in progress. Our first mini-series will focus on climate change adaptation, with episodes coming soon that explore issues related to climate-driven displacement, migration, and relocation; occupational health and safety protections; and water quality restoration in the United States.

In this first episode, Verchick and Ristino:

• Define food security (0:50)  
• Discuss the ways climate change affects food security, including changing rainfall, shifting growth seasons and crop yields, pests and pathogens, and more (2:13)  
• Share experiences from inside federal agencies, including at times when the realities on the ground clashed with political leadership’s distaste for talking about climate change (11:30)  
• Give a primer on the Farm Bill (15:55)  
• Wonder, are there ways to improve food security through the Farm Bill this year? (18:40)  
• Look at opportunities to alter crop insurance policies to drive sustainable agriculture practices (21:18)  
• Chat about the evolution and expansion of scholarship at the intersection of food law and policy (28:25)

Give it a listen.

If you’d like to learn more about topics discussed on the podcast, check out these additional resources:

• Reports from the Farm Bill Law Enterprise  
• Farm and Food Legal Resources online collection, curated by the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law School  
• National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s 2018 Farm Bill campaign page