1. Sustainable Food Systems
Building the Foundation for Prepared
Communities
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Westin Lombard Yorktown Center, Lombard, Illinois
Objectives of the workshop
1) Participants will be able to name the components of a
sustainable food system, and how they promote
resilient, prepared communities.
2) Participants will describe examples of inequities in
the present food system experienced by rural,
suburban and urban dwellers, farmers, people of
color and low income people, and proposed policy
solutions.
3) Participants will be able to describe specific ways in
which they can work together across sectors and
organizations to promote a policy agenda that
supports equal access to healthy food and prepared
communities.

2. Agenda
Registration Process (Please go to Magnolia A meeting room) 12:00 – 12:30
pm
Welcome Remarks Jim Bloyd, Chair, Food and Nutrition Section, IPHA 12:30 – 12:45
pm
Preview Screening: Food Deserts In a Land of Plenty 12:45 – 1:20
pm
Sarah A. Carlson – Director and Producer
The film turns a lens to activists, Chicago Public School students, single mothers, farmers and legislators
helping to shape the developing regional food system by becoming urban rooftop growers, first
generation farmers and public policy champions. Food Deserts in a Land of Plenty documents grass roots
solution models to this crisis between the two landscapes through compelling characters and their
subsequent transformation through the simplicity of fresh food by their own hand. Ms. Carlson will
make brief remarks after the preview screening.
Keynote Presentation 1:20 – 1:50 pm
John W. Boyd, Jr., President, National Black Farmers Association
What is the experience of black farmers in America? What does the experience of black farmers in the
United States say about our commitment to racial justice, ending discrimination in access to equal
opportunity, and our ability to create a sustainable food system? What were the issues raised by the
landmark suit brought against the US government by black farmers? What is the current state of this
historic settlement of the suit? What is the vision of the National Black Farmers Association, what
strategies are being used to make this vision a reality, and how can the audience get involved? These are
some of the questions that will be touched on by the Founder and President of the National Black
Farmers Association.
Panel Discussion 1:50 – 2:35 pm
Dr. Angela Odoms-Young, Richard A. Ryan, and Dr. Noel Chavez
The panel discussion will focus on various aspects of sustainable food systems, tackled from four unique
perspectives with rich experience in this field. Sarah Carlson will expand upon ideas highlighted in her
film – particularly on the implications of food deserts within our food system. Richard Ryan will provide
the role of Archer Daniels Midland in the global food system. Dr. Noel Chavez will provide an
international perspective on food systems. Dr. Angela Odoms-Young will present findings from the
African American Obesity Prevention Network. Speaker bios are included in this package.
Question & Answer 2:35 – 3:00 pm

3. Today’s presentations and other materials will be available at
slideshare.net/foodnutritionipha

4. Speaker Bios
John W. Boyd Jr.
President, National Black Farmers Association “I’m just a farmer from
Virginia” — If you ask John Boyd what he does for a living, he’ll tell you just
that. In fact, John Boyd is a fourth-generation farmer, but how then did this
farmer turn into a civil rights activist and become the President and founder
of the National Black Farmers Association (NBFA)? The transition was
personal and it happened quickly.
In the late 80’s, John applied, as many famers do, for a loan from the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA). He recalled watching his loan
application get tossed into a trash can during an interview with a USDA
official. After trying for multiple years to obtain a loan, he decided to fight
back. Boyd filed a discrimination complaint through his local civil rights office. The money he needed to keep
his farm alive was not forthcoming, his applications for other forms of farm assistance were disregarded, and
routine inquiries about his loan balances and payment schedules went unanswered. Boyd spent the next
several years relying on financial help from family members. His finances eventually spiraled out of control,
he lost his poultry contract, and he was forced to declare bankruptcy.
John’s willingness to speak out and share his frustrations encouraged other desperate farmers to do the same.
He began to hear story after story nearly identical to his own, and in some instances worse. As John has said,
“I heard some terrible things, and the further south you go, the worse the story gets…It’s tough for all farmers, but when
you throw in discrimination and racism and unfair lending practices, it’s really hard for you to make it.“
• Present, Farmer and President of the National Black Farmers Association;
• 2009, Appointed by Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell to serve on his Agriculture
transition team;
• 2009, Vetted by President Obama’s transition team as a candidate for Secretary of
Agriculture;
• 2005, Appointed by then-Virginia Governor-elect Tim Kaine to serve as co-chair of his
Policy Committee on Agriculture and Forestry during the transition period;
• 2005, Recipient of the Legacy of Excellence “Keeper of the Flame” Award;
• 2000, Appointed by President Bill Clinton to serve on his administration’s tobacco
commission;
• 2000, Democratic nominee for election to Virginia’s 5th Congressional District;
• 1999, Appointed by then-Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore to serve on the Virginia Tobacco
Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission;
• 1998, Nominee for the NAACP highest honor, the Springarn Award;
• 1995, Founded the National Black Farmers Association.

5. Sarah Carlson
Director and Producer of Food Deserts In a Land of Plenty
Sarah Carlson has been editing and shooting for over 12 years, working as
a videographer and editor for companies such as The History Channel,
National Geographic, and Animal Planet. Sarah Directed “Engaged
Learning,” a training series for teachers in the state of Idaho documenting
new methods of experiential learning for public schools. Sarah completed
her MFA in Film Directing from Northwestern University and currently
lives in Chicago where works as Producer and Editor, founded her own
community outreach organization called Grow Awareness Media, and has
been producing GROW for over two years. More information is available
online at Growthemovie.com
Noel Chávez
Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago
Co-Director, Maternal and Child Health
Dr. Chavez’ research interests include the health and nutritional status of Latinos, cultural differences in
health behaviors, attitudes, health status, and services use, nutritional epidemiology
She teaches public health nutrition, public health planning & evaluation, nutritional epidemiology.
Her publications include
• Johnson, TP, YI Cho, A Holbrook, D O'Rourke, N Chavez,
Cultural variability in the effects of question design features on
respondent comprehension, in Methodological Aspects in Cross-
National Research, ZUMA, Mannheim, Germany, 2005.
• T Johnson, Y Cho, A Holbrook, D o"Rourke, R. Warnecke, & N
Chavez, Cultural Variability in the Effects of Survey Question Design on Comprehension,
Annals of Epidemiology, 2006
• Dunham, DP, A Czysczon, N Chavez, V Persky & J Piorkowski, Dietary Differences among
Women of Polish Descent in the United States by Country of Birth and Level of Education,
Ecology of Food & Nutrition, June, 2006
• Chavez, N., S. Telleen, Y. Kim, Food Insufficiency in Urban Latino Families, Journal of
Immigrant & Minority Health, 2/07

6. In 2008, Dr. Chavez was recognized by the UIC Awards and Fellows Institute For Research On Race &
Policy
Angela Odoms-Young
Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago
Angela M. Odoms-Young, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in Kinesiology and
Nutrition at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Odoms-Young earned a B.S.
degree in foods and nutrition from the University of Illinois-
Urbana/Champaign and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University in
human nutrition and community nutrition, respectively. Prior to her position at
UIC, she was a faculty member in Public Health and Health Education at
Northern Illinois University. She completed a Family Research Consortium
Postdoctoral Fellowship examining family processes in diverse populations at
The Pennsylvania State University and University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign and a Community Health Scholars Fellowship in community-based
participatory research at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
Odoms-Young's current research is focused on social, cultural, and
environmental determinants of dietary practices and overweight/obesity in African-American adults
and children. She has extensive experience in conducting ethnographic and community-based research
with low-income and minority populations. Odoms-Young is currently involved in several studies that
examine the relationship between neighborhood/school food environments, individual dietary intake
and/or weight status.
Richard A. Ryan
Archer Daniels Midland
Currently serving as the Deputy Director in the Corporate Security
Department of Archer Daniels Midland, Mr. Ryan’s responsibilities include
management of the Asset Protection Division and corporate counter-terrorism
planning. Prior to this position, Mr. Ryan owned and operated Ryan Crisis
Management and Consulting, Inc. He presents at state and national
conferences on topics related to Tactical Team Operations, Managing Labor

7. Disputes and Interest Group Events, and various other topics in corporate security, risk assessment,
security plan development and implementation, and agro-terrorism.