Meet The Founders

International food author, speaker, journalist, and policy expert, Debbie Barker has worked on food and agriculture issues for over two decades. In her roles as international director at Center for Food Safety, based in Washington, D.C., and director of the International Forum on Globalization, she has worked on both policy and grassroots fronts on a broad array of issues—climate change, trade, and investment agreements, regenerative farm and food systems, food and water security, ecology, indigenous peoples, economic and social justice, and much more. She has spoken at venues such as the European Union Parliament, United Nations climate conferences (COPs), universities and other venues, and authored numerous publications including Trade Matters—Impacts on Food and Farming; The Wheel of Life: Climate, Human Rights & the Economy ; and was on the committee of authors for the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), a report of the World Bank and United Nations. She has been a consultant to The Berry Center, putting Wendell Berry’s writings to work, the International Coalition on Climate Change and Agriculture, and other organizations. In addition, she has consulted on various videos and films, including the feature documentary The Seeds of Vandana Shiva. Contact Debbie Barker.

Sustainable food expert, author, and creative producer, Alison Caldwell holds a master’s degree in Food Systems and Culture from New York University. Her care for a fair food system inspired her to pursue a path where food, culture, and politics merge. Alison has traveled the globe photographing, filming, teaching, researching, and creating content around ecological food & farming. Alison has worked in India with Dr. Vandana Shiva where she developed courses around food politics and organic agriculture for the Navdanya organization, and currently manages Friends of Navdanya media content and communications. Alongside her video creative producing and marketing work, Alison has a unique national platform where she educates children and adults about whole-food eating and cooking. Alison is a 2014 Alice Waters Edible School Yard Academy alumni and has developed food and farm curricula for the Boy’s & Girl’s Club of America. She is a contributing author in Taking Food Public: Redefining Foodways in a Changing World, for her work titled, “Will Tweet for Food,” and was a 2011 visiting artist at the James Beard Foundation Greenhouse Gallery with her solo photography show, “Hong Kong Foodscapes.” With over 30 years of experience in media, and television, Alison’s credits have been aligned with A&E, TLC, Discovery, and FOODNetwork to name a few. alisoncaldwell.com | Contact Alison Caldwell