As development practitioners, researchers, and changemakers we are confronted by situations in which armed conflict has torn apart the physical and social structures of societies. Smallholder farmers are deeply impacted and often take part in these conflicts. Rebuilding small holder agriculture in these settings is difficult and complicated. The speaker will explain the impacts of conflict on smallholder farmers and discuss constraints and strategies for assisting farmers and communities to recover from armed conflict. The problem of perpetual low intensity conflict will also be addressed along with suggestions for helping ethnic minority communities retain food sovereignty in post-conflict settings.
Presenter - Dr. Joshua Ringer has been working in international agricultural development since 1995. He is a Research and Teaching Visiting Professor in the Horticulture Department, Oklahoma State University. His domestic research helps answer questions about Sovereign Tribal Nation Food Systems. Dr. Ringer is also CEO of Indigdev LLC which is a consulting Company that partners with smallholder farmers to develop sustainable food and agricultural solutions. He has a Ph.D. in Agricultural Education and Extension and MSc in Soil Science. Joshua has fifteen years of international development experience in Southeast Asia.