Ian Cheney: “Farming the City”

What is the role of urban agriculture in a 21st century sustainable food system? Are urban farms gimmicks, distractions, or key ingredients in a better agriculture? On Nov 9th, with slides and clips from his films and travels, filmmaker and environmental advocate Ian Cheney explores the wild world of urban farming, blending humor and whimsy with real stories from some of America’s quirkiest new farms. Cheney received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. At Yale he founded the Sustainable Food Project and received the Berkeley Master’s Prize for his work in support of sustainability on campus. His 2007 documentary “King Corn” received the George Foster Peabody Award. He has since directed “The Greening of Southie,” a film about one of the first green buildings in Boston, and “The City Dark,” about light pollution, and is currently working on “A Green Gulf,” and “The Search for General Tso,” which received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Cheney also cofounded Food Corps, a farm-to-schools initiative.

Sponsored by the Environmental Club, Berry Center, LACE, and the English, Sociology, and Environmental Studies departments.