Anna Andersson

Anna Andersson grew up in the Red River Valley of North Dakota, but many places in the world feel like home to her, particularly the southern region of Sweden where she lived, studied, and worked for five years. She now makes her home in Salina, Kansas.

Anna enjoys building networks of resources and relationships to provide accessible ways to collaborate on ecological and social questions. She has devoted her studies and work to the intersection of agriculture, education, research, community organizing, and non-profit program management. Anna is a past TLI intern who completed her undergraduate degree in music therapy and psychology before teaching English and Swedish language, studying physical geography and ecosystem analysis at Lund University, and most recently facilitating a sustainable agriculture community learning program for beginning farmers in North Dakota. Her interest in agriculture and people’s relationship with their landscape has led to doing research in rural communities, working on farms in various countries, and being engaged with community initiatives improving local and regional food systems. 

Q&A

What drew you to work at TLI?
Agriculture has permeated many aspects of my life, growing up in a rural community, with a lineage of farmers, gardeners, and agricultural extension agents in my family. These figures, along with others I have met in my work and travels, sparked an interest in people’s relationships with land, the origin stories that inform them, and how those relationships change over time. After learning about The Land Institute’s ecological intensification and perennial polyculture systems in the agricultural landscape, I found that they provide compelling models for pursuing a polyculture of thought and knowledge to the social landscape in which the agricultural landscape resides. I’m excited to be working with the Civic Science Research Program to collaborate with individuals from diverse communities and sectors to engage with perennial plants in tangible and transformative ways through research, education, and peer-to-peer learning.

I look forward to supporting civic science communities and connecting agroecology, long-term sustainability, and plant-human relationships to people’s everyday lives. I also look forward to doing this work alongside curious, thoughtful, and dedicated colleagues. 

What else are you passionate about (outside of work)?
Singing in choir is one of my biggest loves in life. I am also a photographer, sauna enthusiast, and flour connoisseur. 

What’s one aspect of your life history that people don’t know?
I had the opportunity to tour in Asia with a cello, piano, voice trio in which I was a part. 

What is your motto / favorite quote?
“The heart must submit itself courageously to life’s call.” – Herman Hesse

Support the work of Anna and others at The Land Institute with a donation.

Donate