A Harvest of Stories Shares Food Systems Leaders’ Stories

A Harvest of Stories is a different kind of publication. Created by writer and storyteller Beth Waterhouse, it weaves a tale of leaders struggling with specific challenges in their groups and in the fast-changing food system. These stories are told by leaders participating in the Cultivating Leadership for a Changing Agriculture (CLCA) Program and reflect the impacts of this cooperative project of the Institute for Conservation Leadership (ICL) and the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST).

Waterhouse’s narrative uses the leaders’ own words to draw out themes of learning and change as individuals gain confidence and competence, organizations become more effective and relevant, and people work together in new ways to create a more sustainable food system.  The stories hone in on the CLCA program’s focus on shared leadership, using difference as a resource, and the power of listening and dialogue.

These themes found in A Harvest of Stories are timely for all of us. As we all struggle to make sure our day-to-day work — on the food system, or an ecosystem, or a community, or a watershed — has the highest impact possible.

Copies of the publication may be ordered from the Institute for Conservation Leadership, or on the CLCA Program Web site at www.cultivateleaders.org.