Center for Agriculture and Food Systems

What it means to be a farm and food advocate

At the Vermont Law School Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, we learn from our neighbors—farmers and food entrepreneurs. We are part of the community and, through community, experience the legal and policy issues facing small and mid-sized farmers in America. This is one of the many ways education at Vermont Law School is unique in the nation and our graduates are poised to be the new generation of food, farm, and fiber advocates and entrepreneurs. In keeping with this ethos, the following video was directed and shot by two second year law students, and the music was likewise created by law students and friends of the law school.
VLS Center for Agriculture and Food Systems Video - Full Version
VLS Center for Agriculture and Food Systems - Part One
VLS Center for Agriculture and Food Systems - Part Two

Welcome from Professor Laurie Ristino, Director

The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) has a dual mission: to develop the next generation of sustainable food and agriculture law and policy leaders while providing legal and policy resources and solutions for citizens to build and support such systems. CAFS' approach to progressing sustainable agriculture and food systems is systems-based, as our name implies. We believe that in order to truly foster sustainable agriculture and food, we need to understand the connections these systems have to the environment, energy, human and animal health, labor, and climate change.

Why sustainable agriculture and food systems? Food is a basic necessity of life. This is the time to make a difference in agriculture and food given the burgeoning interest in this area. Ensuring sufficient, healthy food to feed a growing global population is a critical humanitarian challenge. At the same time, the production of food has tremendous impact on natural resources, including water, soil health, and air, which we must address.

How CAFS is contributing to sustainable agriculture and food systems. CAFS and VLS offer an expanding curriculum in food and agriculture for law and policy students. In addition, CAFS supports scholars and practitioners in producing practical, robust scholarship for use by the food and agriculture community. CAFS also offers training and legal tools to help build sustainable local and regional food systems.

If you are interested in learning more about CAFS, as a potential student, collaborator, or client, please call us at 802-831-1230.

Laurie Ristino
Director and Professor of Law

Join the sustainable food systems conversation with the student group Food and Agricultural Law Society.

Listen to our monthly program Food Radio.