Local to Global Perspectives at the NOFA-VT Winter Conference
This weekend, the 35th annual NOFA- VT Winter Conference will be taking place at UVM. The theme for this year is, “Beyond Borders: Our Role in the Global Food System.” The NOFA-VT Conferences focus on the local food system on an individual to state scale, but with the theme this year, we can expect see workshops and discussions pushing conference guests to take lessons from a global scale.
A few sessions stand out as a link between Vermont and the global food system. On Saturday, the workshop “The Milk with Dignity Program: Worker-Driven Social Responsibility” will give insight into the work being done in Vermont to ensure protected rights for farmers and farm workers in the dairy industry. Representatives from Migrant Justice and the Milk with Dignity Standards Council will be speaking to this. On Sunday, the workshop “Global Food, Local Food: Stories and Crops from Vermont Resettled Refugee Farmers” will share some stories of Refugees who have started farming since moving to Vermont. These are just a few of the many perspectives to be shared.Â
To explore more of the global food system, two distinguished guests will be presenting as Keynote speakers, Dr. Fernando Funes Monzote and Dr. Vandana Shiva. From Cuba and India respectively, Monzote and Shiva will be speaking about their work in sustainable agriculture. Linked above are their conference bio’s, illustrating some of their groundbreaking work.
As always, the NOFA conference provides a space for those interested in organic food and a thriving local food system to come together and share ideas. The weekend will be filled with workshops, roundtable discussions and presentations that celebrate the work of organic producers and consumers.
Eva Sherman, UVM Dining Sustainability Intern
