Grant Program Regional Food Systems

To investigate the need for and viability of creating a credit union focused on small-scale sustainable agriculture for the Northeast.

To improve the supply chain from producer to wholesale/institutional buyer in order to meet the growing demand for local food while increasing farmer/producer financial viability.

To create an open source knowledge-sharing network that is useful to a wide range of food system stakeholders while building human and organizational capacity to actively use, contribute to, and shape the network.

To increase service and capital providers expertise in business, financial planning, and marketing so that they can better assist farm and food entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, thereby increasing the availability of Vermont and New England produced foods for local…

To ensure that farmland in New England and New York transfers from the current (and aging) generation of landowners to a next generation of farmers, which will strengthen farm economies, protect working landscapes, and create a more resilient and healthy…

To protect local and regional food systems against potentially damaging international trade agreements.

To help hospitals and health care systems increase their procurement of healthier, more sustainably and regionally produced foods for patients, staff, and cafeterias.

To complete the research and planning phase of the cooperative greenhouse venture.

To launch a higher education certificate program to strengthen the management skills of food hub operators in order to ultimately enhance these enterprises capacities in expanding local/regional food systems.

To provide stipends for New Englanders to attend the Vermont Farm to Plate gathering on October 29-30, 2013.