New Wallace Chair wants to listen
Ongoing dialogue in sustainability begins

Iowa State University's new Henry A. Wallace Endowed Chair for Sustainable Agriculture doesn't start work officially until February 1, but already Lorna Michael Butler has been listening to people, gathering ideas, and starting the conversation.

Butler, an extension anthropologist and professor at Washington State University, spent a week on campus in October to begin what she hopes will be an ongoing discussion with numerous groups and people who are interested in sustainable agriculture. The Wallace Chair's appointment is for three to five years, extendable to eight. It was established in 1997 with a $1 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, a $500,000 gift from the Wallace Genetic Foundation, and support from the Leopold Center and ISU College of Agriculture.

"First, I'm going to spend a lot of time listening and learning, on campus, in Iowa communities and elsewhere," explains Butler. "This is important because I'm not from Iowa and agriculture is just one piece of the sustainability puzzle. While I have a particular interest in the human and community dimensions, I want to pay careful attention to the technical, political and natural resource pieces as well."

Such discussions are important in participatory research, a method of immersing the learner in a community to gather information from people who know the situation best. Butler hopes to work with graduate students in this manner. She has found this approach helpful in projects in Washington state, East Africa and the Middle East.

Butler grew up on a cattle ranch in Alberta, Canada. After graduating from the University of Manitoba, she helped direct 4-H programs in British Columbia. Fully intending to return home for a career in agriculture and consumer marketing, she went to Colorado State University for a master's degree in extension and continuing education. At Colorado, she met her husband, Bob, a sociologist who grew up on a farm in Iowa near Northwood. Her doctorate program in agricultural anthropology at Washington State University took her to East Africa, and she has been involved in international agriculture work ever since. Her most recent WSU responsibilities have included activities to broaden public understanding and appreciation of agriculture, and to strengthen the linkages between farm and non-farm communities.

The Wallace Chair comes at just the right time in Butler's career and in Iowa agriculture.

"There's a critical mass of people here interested in sustainable agriculture, both inside and outside the university," she says. "People may have different interpretations of sustainable agriculture, but if anything is going to happen in the future to benefit agriculture for all of society, it will be in Iowa."

Butler said she would like to work with the Leopold Center on campus-wide discussions about sustainability. She also has high hopes for the development of a new degree program in sustainable agriculture at Iowa State University. She invites comments or questions before her appointment begins. She can be contacted at butlerl@wsu.edu, or (253) 445-4551.