Antonio Roman-Alcala

Antonio Roman-Alcala is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology, Geography & Environmental Studies at California State University, East Bay (CSUEB). His research focuses on sustainable food systems, urban agriculture, and food justice, with a particular emphasis on intersections between political economy, rural populism, and environmental policy. He holds a BA from UC Berkeley and a PhD from the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in The Hague (2021). Beyond academia, he co-founded San Francisco’s Alemany Farm, the California Food Policy Council, and advises initiatives on food justice and land access for young farmers. He is also involved with the Urban Permaculture Institute, the Ecological Farming Association board, and the Agroecology Research-Action Collective (ARC).

Education:

• B.A. in Urban Sustainability, UC Berkeley
• Ph.D. in Development Studies, International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), The Hague

Research Interests:

• Food sovereignty movements and post-growth theory
• Agroecology and permaculture practices
• Political economy of rural development
• Sustainable land use policies

Recent Publications:

• "The agrarian origins of authoritarian rural populism in the United States" (2018)
• "Looking to Food Sovereignty Movements for Post-Growth Theory" (2016)
• "Conceptualizing components of Food Sovereignty" (2016)

Advising & Collaborations:

• National efforts on food justice and land access
• Consultant for the Urban Permaculture Institute
• Board member of the Ecological Farming Association

Labs/Teams: Co-facilitates the Agroecology Research-Action Collective (ARC), actively involved in grassroots food system initiatives.