Jefferson County Director of Extension Laura Lewis will present information on ensuring a safe and consistent food supply at noon Thursday, Feb. 9, in the county commissioners meeting room at the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St. in Port Angeles.
Lewis will provide an overview of environmental and economic threats to agricultural sustainability and food security, the impact of those threats and regional means to address availability and access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food.
She will discuss home gardening, gleaning, food rescue, food banks, subsidized programs to increase access to healthy food and programs that provide funding and assistance to learn about home gardening and food production.
She also will provide information about searching for seeds and plants for various types of microclimates and production systems.
Lewis began working in Pacific Northwest gardens as soon as she could walk. She worked on an organic farm in high school and earned her B.S. degree in agriculture from Washington State University. She worked with farmers and gardeners in Niger, West Africa, as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Upon returning to the U.S., she worked for the USDA in its National Genetic Resources Program with nut and tree fruit species.
She has always had an interest in understanding how organisms diversify and so she completed her Ph.D. from the University of California – Davis in geography. She examined the biogeography and genetic diversity of pearl millet in Africa.
took a position with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, as a professor of biogeography. In the fall of 2011, she accepted her current position as director at WSU Jefferson County Extension and is researching plant and animal germplasm conservation, farmer education and food justice.
The presentation is part of the Clallam County Master Gardener Green Thumb Garden Tips educational series held on the second and fourth Thursday of each month. Presentations, which are open to the public, occur from noon-1 p.m. For questions, call 565-2679.
