Look around Vermont and you’ll find a variety of successful farms operated by women—Green Mountain Girls Farm, Bread & Butter Farm, and Jericho Settlers’ Farm. It’s no surprise that the number of farms operated by women in Vermont is slightly higher than other states. Still, the percentage is considerably low compared to farms operated by men.
By Emily Callaghan
It is no secret that the global food system is facing many crises. Over 30 percent of food is wasted, yet millions of people remain food insecure and malnourished. The number of small and substance farmers is greatly diminishing due to a loss in economic opportunities. The food system displays many social injustices throughout the developing world, such as a divide in equal access to healthy food or remedies necessary for a healthy diet. In addition, a global food system has negative effects on the environment and depletes international resources.
Food waste is one aspect that contributes to these negative effects. Post-harvest loss is a huge issue for farmers all over the globe. It puts them at risk of losing monetary value and losing access to healthy food.
By Rachel C. Leslie
As the U.S. Department of Agriculture prepares guidelines for labeling products that contain genetically modified ingredients, a new study from the University of Vermont reveals that a simple disclosure can improve consumer attitudes toward GMO food.
Led by Jane Kolodinsky, an applied economist in UVM’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the study compared levels of consumer opposition to GMO foods in Vermont – the only U.S. state to have implemented a mandatory labeling policy – with consumer attitudes in the rest of the U.S. The analysis showed opposition to GMO food fell by 19 percent in Vermont after the implementation of mandatory labels.
As national regulators work to develop mandatory GMO food labels, new research by UVM’s Jane Kolodinsky finds that consumer opposition to GMOs dropped significantly after Vermont adopted mandatory labels.
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By Sarah Tuff Dunn
The thousands of farms that quilt Vermont’s landscape, from the southern foothills of the Green Mountains to the shores of Lake Champlain and the Quebec border, have long made the state an icon of bucolic, healthy living. But what lies beneath the soil? And, more importantly, how does it impact the air above — the air that Vermonters and their global neighbors all breathe?
Carol Adair uses gas sampling chambers to measure levels of greenhouse gas emissions from farm fields in Vermont. Her research will help farmers modify agricultural practices to improve water quality and mitigate climate change.
By Melissa Pasanen
Seven Days
On a sunny morning in early May, Marjorie Susman walked by bright tulips and daffodils, past the greenhouse, and down the stone stairway to the Orb Weaver Farm cheese room to start the season’s penultimate Monday batch.
It is normal for the Monkton dairy to wind down its annual cheesemaking routine in May. But this year was different: The Monday batch was one of the last three that Susman, 63, and her life partner, Marian Pollack, 70, would make before handing the reins over to Kate Turcotte ’09 and her husband, Zack Munzer, both 31.
