Ethan Pezzini describes his major in Agroecology, as a movement, as well as a field of study. As he finishes his degree at UVM and moves out into the world, he hopes to situate himself at the intersection between farmers and researchers in order to facilitate collaboration and to bridge any divides that keep them from benefitting from one another.
“The whole point of my degree and the way I view it is to understand how change can be made sustainably, both in terms of the earth and in terms of the people in the community that we are trying to influence. Historically, the goal has been to tell the community what they should be doing to be better. But my minor in Community and International Development within the department of Community Development and Applied Economics, has really taught me how to go into a community to tell them about research, but in a way in which I'm not asserting dominance, not asserting power over them. Instead, I’m going as a peer who has information that they might not know: Information that might help them. I need to convey that I want the best for the community and that I want the best for all the people that I'm going to be talking to about whatever new practices or research is my goal. My program has really helped me understand that, historically speaking, these relationships have sort of been damaged by policymakers and researchers who have gone into certain communities and just told them how to change. UVM has taught me how to begin to repair these damages, which have been made, and how to assist communities by involving them in the whole process. “
His coursework has prepared him well for his ambition, as he’s had many classes in which he’s done farmwork as part of his coursework.
“It's important to learn things in the classroom, but it's an entirely different thing to get outside see how things truly operate, and get to know the farmers themselves, the people who are actually doing it, boots on the ground, hands in the soil. Those who are making their livelihood off the endeavor.”
Farming was far afield from his suburban roots in Melrose, outside of Boston, where Ethan grew up. Other than growing vegetables with his father, he didn’t have any background in farming, nor did anyone in his family. Still, he always enjoyed that family garden, and he knew he wanted to do something connected to nature and the environment.
“From my perspective, I've gotten to see things actually changing. I understand that Vermont might be a microcosm of its own little bubble of the greater picture of things, but to see it on any scale is a really amazing thing to get to witness. I’ve gotten a chance to talk to so many different farmers in the area, and they want to do agroecology, whatever that means to them. One of the amazing things about our agroecology is that it is context-dependent; no one person has to do the same thing as the next person to be considered an agroecology practitioner. The whole goal of agroecology is just to get good food to good people made by people. Agroecology at UVM was just a really amazing experience: To see that the tides are turning is completely empowering.