Who we are.
The Farming and Food Narrative Project (FFNP) is a 7-year project, started in 2016, that is using cognitive science to reframe the public narrative about food and farming. Reframing helps us slow down our intuitive response and reaction to the topic and rework WHAT, HOW and WHY we think about food and farming. Experts and those involved in a field often understand and talk about it differently than the general public, using insider language (jargon). By mapping the difference in narratives between how experts think and how the public thinks about farming, FFNP aims to bridge the gap, changing and improving the effectiveness of the way we communicate with the people around us and in our networks.
Project Co-Sponsors:​
IPM Voice | A national advocacy organization whose mission is to make IPM intelligible and valuable to the public.
FrameWorks Institute | An independent research organization comprised of Ph.D.-level social scientists whose primary work is to translate the views of scientists to the public.
Red Tomato | A nonprofit food hub marketing fresh fruits and vegetables from fifty Northeast farms to supermarkets.
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Structure:
The Project is run by its Core Team, a diverse mix of agricultural scientists, social scientists, and food and farm practitioners. We make sure that different perspectives are in the room from the start, recognizing that by embracing the same diversity the project is meant to serve, we are better equipped to work together toward solutions. The Project is managed by Michael Rozyne, founder of Red Tomato. The Core Team is developing a cohort of Communication Partners with high level interest in the work and outcomes of the Project. This group will grow steadily in number in the coming years, and will be key to the dissemination of results.
Katherine DiMatteo
Wolf, DiMatteo & Associates
David Epstein
Northwest Horticultural Council
Susan Futrell
Red Tomato
Kelsey Gosch, project coordinator
Red Tomato
Larry Gut
Michigan State University
Carolyn Mugar
Farm Aid
Anu Rangarajan
Cornell University
Samina Raja
University at Buffalo
Michael Rozyne, project manager
Red Tomato
Julie Sweetland
FrameWorks Institute
Glenda Yoder
Farm Aid
IPM Voice Board
Jerry Baron
IR-4 Project
David Epstein
Northwest Horticultural Council
Jim Farrar
University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Thomas Green
IPM Institute of North America, Inc.
Larry Gut
Michigan State University
Keith Pitts
Marrone Bio Innovations
Michael Rozyne
Red Tomato
Financial
Supporters
Cedar Tree Foundation, Chesapeake Foodshed Network, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), IPM Institute of North America, IR-4, Marrone Bio Innovations, Michigan Horticulture Society, Michigan State University, NESAWG, Northeast SARE, Western SARE, Northeast IPM Center, North Central IPM Center, Red Tomato, Southern IPM Center, Town Creek Foundation, University at Buffalo Food Lab, Whole Foods Markets
Core Team