The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) at Vermont Law School announced today the publication of a new report, "Models for Success: A Set of Case Studies Examining Gleaning Efforts Across the United States." The report, completed as part of CAFS' National Gleaning Project with support from the National Agricultural Library and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), features best practices for reducing food waste, incentivizing food donations to charitable organizations, addressing issues of food insecurity, and supporting local economies.
"We are hopeful that this resource can assist gleaning organizations in better procuring produce for the food insecure while reducing waste in our food and agriculture system," said Assistant Professor and Senior Fellow Carrie Scrufari LLM'16, project lead and one of the report authors.
The report's key findings cover infrastructure and distribution best practices, capacity and relationship building, liability, and education and impact. Case studies include field-gleaning organizations, food banks involved in gleaning, fruit tree-gleaning organizations, and fresh food-recovery organizations.
Report interviews feature gleaning leaders across the country, like Robin Safley, executive director of Feeding Florida, a state network of food banks that has its own produce-recovery program, "Farmers Feeding Florida."
"Feeding Florida's 'Farmers Feeding Florida' program serves as an investment in the frontline defense of healthcare by providing hungry Floridians with a healthy, nutritious, and consistent supply of fresh produce," Safley said.
The National Gleaning Project will continue its work to support the growth and expansion of gleaning nationwide by researching and analyzing laws and regulations that pertain to gleaning for farmers, volunteers, food processors, and other organizations. Project partners then will propose legal and policy solutions to address gaps in state and federal law, particularly pertaining to food product donation incentives and liability exposure.
"Models for Success: A Set of Case Studies Examining Gleaning Efforts Across the United States" is available for download at forms.vermontlaw.edu/farmgleaning/GleaningReport_2017.pdf. For more information, visit nationalgleaningproject.org or email CarrieScrufari@vermontlaw.edu.
The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law School supports scholars and practitioners in producing practical, robust scholarship for use by the food and agriculture community. CAFS offers an expanding curriculum in food and agriculture for law and policy students, and training and legal tools to help build sustainable local and regional food systems. For more information about the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, visit vermontlaw.edu/cafs or email cafs@vermontlaw.edu.
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Vermont Law School, a private, independent institution, is home to the nation's largest and deepest environmental law program. VLS offers a Juris Doctor curriculum that emphasizes public service; three Master's Degrees—Master of Environmental Law and Policy, Master of Energy Regulation and Law, and Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy; and four post-JD degrees —LLM in American Legal Studies (for foreign-trained lawyers), LLM in Energy Law, LLM in Environmental Law, and LLM in Food and Agriculture Law. The school features innovative experiential programs and is home to the Environmental Law Center, South Royalton Legal Clinic, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, Energy Clinic, Food and Agriculture Clinic, and Center for Applied Human Rights. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.