Rome, May 30, 2025
The Center for Food Studies at The American University of Rome (AUR) recently convened a diverse cohort of international scholars, researchers, and professionals for “Nature, |Agri|Culture & the Quest for Sustainable Food Systems” - a three-day Master Class designed to catalyze new directions in food systems thinking through the lens of political ecology.
Led by food systems scholar Dr. Harriet Friedmann and AUR’s Dr. Valentina Peveri, the Master Class placed AUR at the center of a vital global dialogue, where emerging and established voices from nearly a dozen countries explored the intersection of agriculture, ecology, culture, and power.
The event exemplified the Center’s mission: to serve as a global hub for critical food studies, connecting thought leaders and innovators through intellectually rigorous programming and meaningful, real-world engagement. With topics ranging from indigenous food sovereignty and multispecies kinship to agroecology under colonial occupation and the biocultural roots of terroir, the class fostered not only academic exploration but new professional alliances and collaborative momentum.
“This kind of convening is exactly what our Center is designed to do - bring together leading and emerging experts to interrogate systems, challenge assumptions, and generate new approaches to global food futures,” said Dr. Peveri.
The Master Class culminated with a field visit to Rome’s Hortus Urbis, a community garden nestled within the Appia Antica Park and dedicated to cultivating plants used in ancient Roman food and medicine. Participants engaged in a hands-on exploration of plant knowledge and ecological stewardship, guided by master gardener Valentina Petrioli and community educator Silvia Cioli. The immersive experience closed with a foraged aperitivo and dinner - symbolically uniting scholarly inquiry with lived practice.
By convening these global perspectives and grounding theory in action, AUR’s Center for Food Studies continues to affirm its role as a catalyst for change—training the next generation of food system leaders and fostering networks that transcend borders.
