Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Farm Benchmarking: The Application Of Business, Conservation And Labor Indicators, Mark Cannella, Sara Ziegler,, Qingbin Wang, Mary Peabody, Thomas Leahey, Heather M. Darby

USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Center

Farm benchmarking programs will move Vermont’s food system towards important sustainability outcomes by establishing enhanced monitoring of priority indicators and facilitating the adoption of best practices. Farmers, researchers, policy agencies and development professionals agree there is a lack of regular and consistent data available to guide private and public initiatives. This paper identifies and contextualizes over forty priority indicators capable of measuring business performance, conservation, farm labor and community development.

Benchmarking methods need to be adapted to better represent the diversity of enterprises present in Vermont’s agricultural portfolio. The integration of University Extension objectives with food systems research priorities can …

Resilient Soils For Resilient Farms: An Integrative Approach To Assess, Promote And Value Soil Health For Small- And Medium-Size Farms, Deborah Neher, Katie Horner, Eric Bishop Von Wettberg, Matt Scarborough, Jeanne Harris, Heather M. Darby, Appala Raju Badireddy, Eric D. Roy, Joshua C. Farley, Joshua Faulkner, Alissa White

USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Center

Our team was a collaborative group of academic, extension and doctoral student researchers who met internally and conducted an IRB-approved survey that engaged with myriad stakeholders. The result was a clear trifecta on relative timing of soil health initiatives: 1) Stakeholders (91%) embrace soil health and believe soil health should be the top priority for UVM research and outreach. 2) Existing policy demands farmers assess elements of soil health every two years for nutrient management plans. 3) Only a subset of desired metrics is available at commercial laboratories, most soil analyses are sent out of state to Maine or New …

Amplifying Agroecology In Vermont: Principles And Processes To Foster Food Systems Sustainability, Martha Caswell, Rebecca Maden, Nils Mccune, V. Ernesto Mendez, Gabriela Bucini, Janica Anderzen, Victor Izzo, Stephanie E. Hurley, Rachelle K. Gould, Joshua W. Faulkner, Maria A. Juncos-Gautier

USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Center

Agroecology is grounded in principles that support transitions toward economic, social and ecological sustainability and proposes that real and lasting change will require a significant transformation of our agri-food systems. Evidence for agroecology’s potential continues to grow, both through word of mouth by farmers and social movements, and through recent scientific assessments of its performance. With endorsements from the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), national governments in both the global north and south, and social movements, it is developing the web of ‘thick legitimacy’ required for even broader adoption (Montenegro de Wit & Iles, 2016). “...Agroecology …