We are very excited to have Ivette Perfecto for the next installment of the Bisan Lecture Series, on Wednesday January 8th, at 7PM Palestine time.
Register here to get the Zoom link!
We are very excited to have Ivette Perfecto for the next installment of the Bisan Lecture Series, on Wednesday January 8th, at 7PM Palestine time.
Register here to get the Zoom link!
Title: Sowing Diversity: Peasant Paths to Biodiversity and Food Sovereignty
Abstract: The world stands at the brink of a biodiversity crisis, unlike anything we’ve seen before, with industrial agriculture and its sprawling monocultures and agrochemical reliance emerging as leading culprits. This rampant loss of biodiversity not only undermines agricultural production but is also exacerbated by the growing challenges of climate change. A radical overhaul of our agricultural and food systems is imperative to sustain food production and meet the escalating global demand. In this talk, we will explore the biodiversity crisis and how millions of small-scale farmers worldwide are turning to agroecology—a holistic approach that blends ecological farming with socio-political and cultural considerations. By championing biodiversity, social equity, and environmental justice, the agroecology movement is redefining food systems and reinforcing vital links to food sovereignty.
Bio: Ivette Perfecto is the Bunyan Bryant Collegiate Professor of Environmental Justice, specializing in agroecology with a focus on biodiversity, agriculture, and food sovereignty. Her research explores arthropod-mediated ecosystem services in agricultural systems, emphasizing ecological interactions that promote pest control and reduce pesticide use. She also studies the spatial ecology of coffee agroecosystems and links between small-scale sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, and food sovereignty, with research in Mexico and Puerto Rico.
She has co-authored four books, including *Breakfast of Biodiversity* and *Nature’s Matrix*. A member of the National Academy of Sciences and fellow of several prestigious organizations, she received an honorary doctorate from Universidad Sagrado Corazón. Perfecto was a lead author of the IAASTD and is active in Science for the People and NWAEG.
Register here! You can find the list of previous and upcoming lectures on our website.
The Bisan lecture on January 8th was delivered by prof. Neil Turok (University of Edinburgh). Prof. Turok is one of the world’s leading cosmologists. From the very title of his lecture, “A Simple Cosmology”, he argued for the idea that the universe can be described in fundamentally simple terms. Modern observational cosmology and experimental particle physics, prof. Turok explained, both depict a remarkably simple picture of the universe. On the largest scales, just five parameters suffice to describe virtually all observations. On the smallest scales probed by particle colliders, the standard model of particle physics, established in the 60’s, has been confirmed with unprecedented precision. Yet, the prevailing view is that such simplicity must emerge from an underlying complex theory, stemming from the difficulties in reconciling general relativity with quantum mechanics. In his lecture, Prof. Turok challenged this point of view, advocating instead for placing the observed simplicity at the center of theoretical work. He presented a model that, by emphasizing fundamental symmetries, reproduces the observed physics using only a few, albeit slightly unconventional, ingredients. Remarkably, his model suggests that certain observed features at both cosmological and microscopic scales may share a common origin. Neil concluded by reminding us that accepted paradigms sometimes need to be shattered, or, in the words of Hasan Ibn al-Haytham: “The duty of the man who investigates the writings of scientists is to make himself an enemy of all that he reads, and attack it from every side”. A recording and notes of Neil Turok’s lecture are available here.
This lecture is sponsored by the Bisan Center for Research and Development and Scientists for Palestine.
In light of the urgent need to assist the people of Gaza, who are currently experiencing immeasurable loss of life and widespread devastation, please read this humanitarian aid appeal from ANERA, forwarded to us by a friend of BLS, Dr. Sara Roy of Harvard University. Hoping to see many of you at this webinar, we send you our best regards.
The Bisan Lecture Series Steering Committee
BLS Statement of purpose In concert with Scientists for Palestine and the Bisan Center for Research and Development, and in keeping with their joint commitment to full integration of Palestine in the global community of learning, the Bisan Lecture Series sponsors discourses on subjects of cultural, scientific, and societal importance by leading research experts and public intellectuals of varied heritage and viewpoint. The interactive webinars are free and open to the public, and recordings of each will be posted soon afterward.