Rural communities are built on decisions about land, food, and what gets passed on to the next generation. In this final episode of the Rural Indiana series, James Farmer joins guest-host Kyla Cox Deckard to examine how farmers and landowners make choices in the face of economic pressure, environmental change, and deep ties to place.
James Farmer is an associate professor in Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs whose work focuses on sustainable food systems and natural resources. He directs the IU Campus Farm and convenes the Sustainable Food Systems Science initiative, supporting research, education, and community partnerships that connect scholarship with real-world practice. His interdisciplinary research has been published in journals including Ecology and Society, Conservation Letters, and Conservation Biology, and is rooted in long-standing engagement with agricultural communities across Indiana and the Midwest.
Farmer’s work explores how rural food and land systems function at the intersection of people, policy, and place. His research looks at how farmers and landowners respond to changing conditions through decisions about production, land use, and conservation, informed not only by economics but also by values, identity, and long-term ties to their communities. Drawing on work with producers across Indiana and the Midwest, the conversation highlights how these individual choices collectively shape the future of rural landscapes.
Kyla Cox Deckard is the Interim Executive Director of the Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement. A lifelong Hoosier and native of Monroe County, Kyla is the former director of Leadership Bloomington-Monroe County and previously worked for the IU Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education.
