Examining and Innovating the Food System: UVM to Host 3rd Annual Food Systems Summit

Who should own and control the food system? How much additional food production capacity do we need and where? How do cultural values influence food practice? Food systems scholars and leaders will address these questions and more when they convene at the University of Vermont (UVM) this June for the UVM Food Systems Summit to share research and engage in dialogue on the pressing food systems issues facing our world.

With a vibrant local food economy, Vermont is a hot spot of sustainable food system development, and a prime location to explore the innovative models that are providing solutions to the multitude of social, environmental, health, and economic problems arising from our broken food system. During the day and a half conference, sessions will address the following themes: the biophysical constraints we face for food production globally, the impact of our geopolitical context on our food system, and the implications of behavior and culture for our food system.

The Summit will transcend the boundaries of academia by incorporating food systems efforts happening outside the ivory tower. Unlike traditional academic conferences, the Summit is designed to optimize engagement between scholars and practitioners outside of academia. As such, the Summit is open to the public and the organizers are seeking participation from nonprofits, government, farmers, and food producers.

Three keynote speakers will each provide a one-hour talk as well as participate in a panel discussion at the end of the Summit: Rosamond Naylor, Director of the Center on Food Security and the Environment at Stanford University, Eric Holt-Giménez, Executive Director of Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy, and Nicholas Freudenberg, Distinguished Professor of Public Health at City University of New York’s School of Public Health and Hunter College.

Panel discussions will feature research and examples of how local-level responses are responding to globalization in the food system. To promote dialogue among all participants, all sessions will include time for Q&A and engaged dialogue with the audience. Participants will enjoy local foods and drink during a Taste of Vermont reception.

Related Events

The Breakthrough Leaders Professional Certificate Program for Sustainable Food Systems will take place at UVM June 15-20. The Food Systems Summit will immediately precede Collaboration and Innovation Across the Food System—the joint annual meeting of the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society (AFHVS) and the Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS), on June 18-22 at UVM.

Food Systems at the University of Vermont Food Systems Initiative

UVM offers a wide range of educational programs in food systems, including Sustainable Food Systems and Agriculture courses for undergraduates and graduates; a Master’s of Science degree in Food Systems; and a Farmer Training Program. The UVM Food Systems Initiative is a cross-campus, transdisciplinary effort to promote research, teaching, and outreach on the most pressing agricultural and food issues of today.