Abstract
If the field of agricultural ethics is to realize its potential and if the agricultural and philosophical communities are to address the impending changes in world food production, there is a need for education in public, governmental, and academic arenas. The development of a symposium on agriculural ethics is an effective method for “raising awareness” of the imminent need for a consolidation of philosophical and agricultural expertise. Based on experience, a series of organizational guidelines and their associated philosophical issues are presented. The initial step is a determination of the purposes of the symposium, which leads to the consideration of the choice of speakers and topics. The best series of speakers will ultimately prove to be ineffectual if the logistics of the symposium are not carefully planned. The scheduling, format, timing and location of the talks are critical. Related to these practical aspects is the organization of promotional efforts. Since one of the goals is, presumably, to enlighten a target audience, effective promotion should be a central concern. Underlying all of these considerations is the budget. How the agricultural ethics symposium at the University of Wyoming addressed these issues is presented, with a critical review of our efforts based on external evaluations.
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Jeffrey A. Lockwood is an assistant professor of entomology at the University of Wyoming. The impetus for his organization of the symposium on Agricultural Ethics came from his participation in the 1986 workshop on the Ethical Aspects of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resource Policy conducted by the National Agricultural and Natural Resources Curriculum Project. He has team-taught courses and led seminars on agricultural ethics, assessment of values systems in pest management, understanding world hunger, and issues in sustainable agriculture. His research centers on insect ecology, with an emphasis on rangeland grasshoppers. He received a Ph.D. from Louisiana State University in entomology in 1985 and a B.S. in biology from New Mexico Tech in 1982.
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Lockwood, J.A. Taking agricultural ethics to the forefront: A practical guide to the organizational and philosophical issues. Agric Hum Values 5, 96–101 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02217653
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02217653