Call for Proposals: Cultivating Spheres: Agriculture, Technical Communication, and the Publics

deadline for submissions: 
December 1, 2016
full name / name of organization: 
Adrienne Lamberti / University of Northern Iowa and Lee Tesdell / Minnesota State University, Mankato
contact email: 

Topic and Title: Cultivating Spheres: Agriculture, Technical Communication, and the Publics  

Editors Adrienne Lamberti and Lee Tesdell solicit new contributions for a collection that explores the question, "Where is technical communication currently living within public spheres, specifically regarding agricultural issues that invoke both the digital humanities and social sciences?"  

The interdisciplinary nature of the collection will focus on topics emerging from contemporary collaborations among digital humanities and social science disciplines—in particular, how best practices in technical communication shape and direct the look of these topics they are debated in public spheres. 

Potential specific questions intended for the book include but are not limited to

  • What is the role of data and scientific research in decision making by landowners and farmers on the subject of conservation practices?
  • Who influences decision making on the farm, extension agents and their research reports, advocacy organizations such as Farm Bureau, NFU, and ISA and ICG or neighbors and local agronomists at farmers' cooperatives?
  • What is the power relationship among the following: big ag that supply inputs and purchases grain and livestock, landowners, farmers' cooperatives, federal and state agencies such as the FSA, and farmers?
  • What is the prognosis for water quality and soil health over the next century around the world given current agronomic practices?
  • What is the current data on our bifurcated ag scene: conventional and small-scale local producers as far as market share, types of products, and prediction for future trends?
  • Can the world's food producers satisfy the needs of the world's population into the future (is it a food distribution problem or a food production problem)?
  • What agronomic future are acceptance of and resistance to GMO seeds leading us to? 

All proposals should reflect an understanding of previous discussions in the literature on the chosen topic (a literature review) and include a 250-word abstract. Chapters published in the collection will range from approximately 2500 to 7500 words in length. 

Timeline: We will select contributions by mid-January 2017 with the intention of collecting completed contribution drafts by March 2017. 

Contact: For more information, please contact Adrienne Lamberti (lamberti@uni.edu).