NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University will be the site for the Fifth Annual Tennessee Local Food Summit. The summit, to be held Dec. 4-6, will feature seminars and experts on a wide range of topics from backyard gardening, organic agriculture and rural economics to cooking, nutrition and climate change. More than 200 participants are expected to attend.

Sponsored by TSU and the Barefoot Farmer, LLC, the summit will also feature some of Nashville’s best chefs offering delicious, locally grown organic meals during a full-day of educational workshops, networking, and “the celebration of another great growing season,” organizers said.

“Tennessee State University is pleased to host this important summit,” said the Dean of the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences, Dr. Chandra Reddy. “It comes at a time when Nashville and Tennessee are moving toward healthy eating habits, protecting the environment and developing the local economy. This conference also provides an opportunity for our faculty and students to share their research and innovation in this field.”

Organizers say the annual summit is intended to make Middle Tennessee viable again as “the farmland that once fed Nashville.”

Speakers will include nationally and internationally recognized food and farm experts and consultants from Tennessee, New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri and Australia, as well as TSU faculty members like Dr. An Peischel, Dr. Sandria Godwin, Dr. Lan Li, Dr. Dilip Nandwani and Dr. Arvazena Clardy.

For more information and to register for the summit, visit http://tnlocalfood.com

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With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.