Local responses to global food systems in the USA
Cornelia Butler Flora is Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Agriculture and Life Sciences at the Iowa State University, and is Director of the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development (http://www.ncrcrd.iastate.edu)
Prof. Dr. Cornelia Butler Flora has conducted ground-breaking sociological research on the impacts of human communities and the ecosystem, community processes, and gender and social institutions. Many of her articles have been widely used by nonprofit organizations that work with farmer groups, particularly in sustainable agriculture, to build stronger communities and a stronger economic base.
Flora has held several academic positions and has also been a program officer for the Ford Foundation. In addition to her responsibilities at the Center, Flora also works on international development issues with World Bank and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
A number of honorary societies have recognized her work and have elected her to positions of authority. Her doctoral students are employed in liberal arts colleges, major land-grant universities, and international development organizations.
Flora received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California-Berkeley and a master’s degree and doctorate degree from Cornell University, which recognized her with an Outstanding Alumni Award in 1994. She joined the Iowa State University faculty and was named director of the Center in 1994.