CMU Faculty

Kenton Lobe

Teaching Assistant Professor, International Development and Environmental Studies

Kenton comes from rural Saskatchewan, and spent the late 70s in Kolkata, India as a kid with parents working for Mennonite Central Committee. He settled back on the prairies, completing undergraduate work in theology at Canadian Mennonite Bible College in Winnipeg, and a BA in Classics and Anthropology at the University of Manitoba. After completing his teacher certification at Goshen College in Indiana, Kenton moved to Hong Kong for three years where he taught middle school geography and history at the Canadian International School. Upon returning to Canada, he completed an interdisciplinary Master’s degree in Natural Resource Management at the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Manitoba. His research in Kerala, India explored the social and ecological impacts of globalizing shrimp markets on a small-scale fishing community.

Kenton is a teacher/practitioner at heart and is as likely to be found at the farm as in his office. He brings a background in international advocacy work on agriculture and hunger to his work in the classroom. His six years as Policy Advisor at Canadian Foodgrains Bank, an international development NGO, examined the structural injustices that surround hunger, focusing in particular on international agricultural trade, the human right to food, and development assistance for small-scale farmers in the global South. The politics of people and place, particularly the discourse of food justice, continue to shape Kenton’s imagination and academic interests. Closer to the ground, he is a founding member of CMUs community garden, continues to participate in local food justice initiatives, and worked with students and alumni to form the Metanoia Farmers Worker Cooperative at the on-campus CMU Community-Shared-Agriculture Farm (www.metanoiafarmers.ca). 

Kenton is married to Julie Derksen, from Wymark, Saskatchewan. They have two children: Sophia and Simon. They are members of Charleswood Mennonite Church in Winnipeg.

Areas of Teaching

International Development Studies, Geography, Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies

Education

Master's of Natural Resource Management (interdisciplinary); Natural Resources Institutue, University of Manitoba 2002

Work in Detail

Teaching

Just and Sustainable Food Systems, Environment Society and Resilience, Voluntary Simplicity, Participatory Local Development, Introduction to International Development Studies, Ecological Peacebuilding, Mennonite Community and Development, Introduction to Environmental Studies

Research

Anderson, C., Sivilay, J. and Lobe, K. (2017). Community organisations for food systems change: Reflecting on food movement dynamics in Manitoba. In The People's Knowledge Editorial Collective (Eds.), Everyday Experts: How people's knowledge can transform the food system. Coventry: Coventry University available here.

Lobe, K. and Sinclair, J. (2016). Environmental assessment: Manitoba approaches.  In K. Hanna (Ed.), Environmental assessment: Practice and participation. Toronto: Oxford University Press

Lobe, K. (Ed.). (2008). Pathways to resilience: Smallholder farmers and the future of agriculture. Canadian Food Security Policy Group Discussion Paper.

Lobe, K. (2007). Is the green revolution a solution to the challenges facing Africa. In Aksel Naerstad (Ed.), Africa can feed itself. Oslo: The Development Fund.

Lobe, K. (2007). A green revolution for Africa: Hope for hungry farmers? Canadian Foodgrains Bank Discussion Paper. Winnipeg: Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

Sinclair, J. and Lobe, K. (2005). Partnership, public involvement and Canada's Model Forests. Environments, 33 (2).

Lobe, K. (2005). Food security, food policy and public participation. A Series of Occasional Papers Issue 1. Winnipeg: The Food Project. 

Lobe, K. and Berkes, F. (2004). The padu system of community-based fisheries management: Change and local institutional innovation in south India. Marine Policy (28) 271-281.

Applied

Together with Mennonite Central Committee Manitoba and A Rocha Canada organizing Germinating Conversations -- a forum for rural-urban dialogue on issues of food justice (2011-present)

Lobe, K. (October 2010). "Organic" Agriculture and Community Development: A Manitoba perspective. Hokaido University School of Agriculture.

Lobe, K. (June 2007). A Green Revolution for Africa: Hope for hungry farmers? Can Africa Feed Itself Conference.  Oslo, Norway.

Founding member of Metanoia Farmers Worker Cooperative (2010-2016). Participated in running an 80-share CSA urban farm on the campus of CMU. www.metanoiafarmers.ca

Community

Executive Board Member with USC Canada (2009-present)

Steering Committee Member of Sharing the Table Manitoba (2015-present)

Founding member of the CMU Community Garden Council (2007-2013)

Member of Mennonite Central Committee Manitoba's Peace Advisory group (2010-present)

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