Experts from across Arizona’s food and health sectors gathered at Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute on April 30 to discuss how both historic and modern food and agriculture systems can affect long-term brain health. The panel, titled “From the Ground to the Gut and Beyond: Why Where Our Food Comes From Matters,” brought together leaders in agriculture, food creation, food systems, and neuroscience to explore connections between farming practices, dietary choices, and human biology.
Ramon Velazquez, assistant professor at the ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, spoke about glyphosate—a widely used herbicide—and its potential indirect effects on the body. “What we found is that this (component in) herbicides, glyphosate, actually did have the ability to penetrate the brain and induce inflammation, which we know is a signature of many neurodegenerative disorders,” he said. With studies suggesting that most Americans carry trace levels of glyphosate in their bodies, Velazquez said understanding safe thresholds may be more important than eliminating exposure entirely.
Sara El-Sayed, assistant research professor at the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems, addressed cultural and policy issues related to organic farming. She traced organic agriculture’s roots back to a post-World War II response against industrialized farming methods. “Organic came as a movement against the industrialized farming system. But organic farming takes up a really small space in USDA funding. There isn’t much that actually supports farmers in that transition,” she said.
Matt Vanderhart from Desert Sonoran Natural Foods described how some farmers see glyphosate-based products like Roundup as safer than older chemicals but acknowledged concerns remain about their use. He explained that moving toward organic production often involves financial risks when stable markets are not guaranteed. “The solution never comes from the top. You know what moves the needle way more? It’s you people — the consumer,” he said.
Don Guerra—James Beard Award winner and founder of Barrio Bread bakery—shared his experience turning to ancient grains such as Sonoran wheat after facing supply challenges as a home baker in Tucson. “It started with gathering grains to make bread, but it turned into supporting a whole community,” he said. Guerra emphasized both health benefits and cultural significance of heritage grains: “Ancient and heritage grains have a totally different protein structure. They haven’t been modified, which means (they are) lower inflammatory.”
Panelists agreed that addressing today’s challenges requires collaboration among policymakers, producers, scientists—and especially consumers—to create healthier relationships between food systems and communities.