September 20, 2018

The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) received a $1.5 million award from the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Library (NAL) as part of a cooperative agreement to continue their partnership. This funding will be used for a variety of major projects and initiatives addressing food and agricultural law. Specifically, the funding will support a new partnership with the Extension Service’s Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety at the University of Vermont, to assist farmers and food producers in understanding legal issues related to Food Safety Modernization Act compliance. This work will be led by Sophia Kruszewski ’13, the new director of CAFS’ Food and Agricultural Law Clinic, giving students the opportunity to engage in hands-on stakeholder outreach and engagement.

The NAL funding will also help to support the Farm and Energy Initiative, a joint effort of the CAFS and the Institute for Energy and the Environment, led by Staff Attorney Genevieve Byrne, and focused on issues related to energy and the food system. Additionally, this award will support the continuation of the Healthy Food Policy Project, a collaboration between CAFS, the Public Health Law Center at Mitchell Hamline, and the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut. This project, led by CAFS Associate Director Lihlani Nelson, works to identify and elevate local laws and policies that promote access to healthy food, contribute to strong local economies and an improved environment, prioritize health equity, and focus on socially disadvantaged and marginalized populations.