Agronomist and non-profit CEO Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin to deliver Carleton convocation
He will discuss his work to advance sustainable farming and build pathways out of poverty for rural Latinx agricultural workers.
Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, an agronomist and the founder and CEO of Regenerative Agriculture Alliance, will deliver Carleton College’s weekly convocation address on Friday, Oct. 25, from 10:50-11:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel. In his presentation, titled, “Decolonizing Agriculture: Building the Foundation of a Multi-Sector Regenerative Supply-Chain,” he will discuss his work to advance sustainable farming and build pathways out of poverty for rural Latinx agricultural workers.
Born in Guatemala, Haslett-Marroquin began working on economic development projects with indigenous Guatemalan communities in 1988. A naturalized U.S. citizen, he immigrated to the U.S. with a degree in agronomy in 1992. He served as a consultant for the United Nations Development Programs’ Bureau for Latin America and as an advisor to the World Council of Indigenous Peoples, with a focus on developing indigenous trade partnerships internationally. He is a founding member of the Fair Trade Federation and started Peace Coffee, a fair-trade coffee company.
Haslett-Marroquin founded Regenerative Agriculture Alliance as a Minnesota-based non-profit organization that works to develop regenerative food supply chains and advocate against extractive agriculture. Specifically, the organization helps to build alliances between consumers, farmers, and entrepreneurs in order to put carbon back into the soil, organic matter back into the cycles of agricultural production, and land back in the hands of farmers.
Haslett-Marroquin is the author of “In the Shadow of Green Man,” in which he tells stories from his upbringing in revolution-torn Guatemala and shares his vision of a regenerative form of farming. The book also draws on the fable of the Green Man, a Guatemalan folk character whose stories teach the importance of respecting the natural world.
Haslett-Marroquin was named one of the Twin Cities International Citizens of the Year in 1996 and received the Service to Mankind Award in 2008. He studied at the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, received an agronomy degree from the National Central School of Agriculture, and received a BA in Business Administration from Augsburg University in Minneapolis. He lives in Northfield with his wife Amy and three kids.
Convocation is sponsored by Carleton College Events. For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222-4308. The Skinner Memorial Chapel is located at First and College Streets in Northfield.