UVM Food Feed

How Dirty Is Sustainable Agriculture?

Posted by Guest Author | June 23, 2017

By Hal Hamilton
The Sustainable Food Lab

Despite the title, this blog post is not about sex, unless we consider the teeming reproductive activity of billions of micro-organisms in every tablespoon of fertile soil.

I’m writing for those who wonder how important soil health is. Over the years, advocates for sustainable agriculture have promoted the importance of many different goals: fewer pesticides, less soil erosion, fertilizer efficiency, water stewardship, the well-being of small farmers, less food waste. And so on. We have tools with multiple indicators, but scant analysis of how goals affect one another, and hence little understanding of systemic cause and effect.

Photo: Flickr/Creative Commons

Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental | Tagged Environment, organic farming | Leave a comment

UVM Alumna Helen Labun Looks to Shape the Future of the Vermont Fresh Network

Posted by Erica Houskeeper | June 20, 2017

Helen Labun, UVM G’06, is experienced in everything from managing agriculture programs to freelance food writing to running a Montpelier restaurant. Now the Newbury, Vermont, native is the new executive director of the Vermont Fresh Network, an organization that connects Vermont food producers with chefs and culinary professionals across the state to strengthen the local food economy.

vermont fresh network

Helen Labun, second from right, is the new executive director of the Vermont Fresh Network.

Continue reading →

Posted in Economic, Vermont | Tagged food culture, local foods, Vermont | Leave a comment

Urban Farming in Singapore Shows Promise for Civic Agriculture

Posted by Guest Author | June 14, 2017

By Sophie Johnson

Rooftop farms are popping up across Singapore, a city-state home to over 5 million people.

Among the Asian mega-city’s skyscrapers, urban farmers are beginning to cultivate crops, including tomatoes, eggplant, spearmint, basil, sorrel, tomatillos, and lemons. Comcrop, one of the newly-established urban farming collectives, is using vertical growing techniques to cultivate herbs and vegetables on a 6,000-square-foot roof in downtown Singapore. They also farm tilapia, and the fish’s waste provides nutrients for the plants and the fish itself additional income for ComCrop. The diverse urban farm is overseen by several staff members as well as volunteers. They report about a fifth of their food gets donated, and the rest is sold to nearby restaurants or farmers’ markets.

Photo courtesy of ComCrop

Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Economic | Tagged education, farming, food access, food culture, local foods | 19 Comments

Farm Tours Improve Public Trust of Dairy for First Time Visitors

Posted by Guest Author | June 9, 2017

By Laura Hardie

On a sunny Saturday morning, cicadas buzzed in a nearby field, and the smell of sweet pancakes filled the air. Young children laughed as newly born calves tested out their wobbly legs and gave them salty kisses, and the kids’ faces full of awe when they learned that those newborn calves could walk within 20 minutes of being born.