by Jess Feldman
Extension Legal Specialist Kelly Nuckolls Winslow of the Agriculture Law Education Initiative (ALEI) attended the 11th annual International Agrarian Law Congress in June in Havana, Cuba. This event attracts attorneys from around the world to discuss current topics in agricultural law.
While the majority of attorneys at the conference were from Latin American and Caribbean countries, representatives from other regions also attended, sharing interpretations and opinions on legal issues in their respective regions.
Each year, board members of the congress honor an agricultural law professor who has made significant contributions in their field. This year’s honoree was the Director of the Drake Agricultural Law Center, Neil Hamilton. Hamilton, a professor at Drake University Law School for over 30 years, taught agricultural law to Winslow when she attended the university from 2013-16.
“I was able to hear Professor Neil Hamilton present about his career reflections of the changes in the U.S. agricultural law over the past 30 years, which is an important perspective for someone who is just starting out in their career,” Winslow said.
Winslow spoke on a panel about her experience as a student of Professor Hamilton, as well as her own perspective of current legal issues, and met with colleagues in the agricultural law field.
Winslow’s lecture mentioned laws and policies in several countries which help prevent on-farm food loss and provide tax benefits to farmers who donate excess products. For example, using the food safety cost-share and market-access programs can help ensure smallholder farmers are able to get their products on the market, Winslow explained.
“It (the conference) was a great experience,” Winslow said proudly. “It was helpful of course to give ALEI some international exposure but also just to hear about what other countries were doing and how attorneys in those countries are addressing those problems.”
