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There’s an exciting new tool for exploring Vermont’s food system – the Vermont Food System Atlas! The Food Atlas is the digital platform for advancing the Farm to Plate Strategic Plan, a ten-year plan assembled by the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund to strengthen Vermont’s food system.

Local food movements around the world are springing up to counterbalance the industrial food system and many are interested in learning from Vermont’s Farm to Plate Initiative and how they can replicate it in their own states or regions. “There’s no secret to Vermont’s success,” says VSJF Executive Director Ellen Kahler, “problems are best solved when businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, educational institutions, and others work together. A combination of strong support from Governor Shumlin and the Legislature, having the Strategic Plan as a common agenda, encouraging mutually reinforcing activities, communication, and coordination among food system organizations, and a groundswell of passion around food and farming among Vermonters have elevated Vermont to a position of national leadership. With the Food Atlas, we can now weave all of these elements together in one place.”

The Vermont Food System Atlas features thousands of food system resources, including stories, videos, job listings, tons of data, a searchable map, and all sections of the Farm to Plate Strategic Plan. The Atlas is also the communications and coordination platform for the Farm to Plate Network—composed of dozens of food system organizations—responsible for implementing the strategies of the Plan.

To explore the Atlas:

• On the homepage you can find stories, tweets and videos from many food system organizations, job listings, news and announcements, and events.
• Click on The Plan to access all sections of the Strategic Plan, download and collect stories, links, reports and publications, data, and all images created by VSJF.
• Access all Farm to Plate goals, download data, view progress on strategies and actions being advanced by the Farm to Plate Network and individual Network members, and explore additional indicators and cross references.
• Click on The Network to explore Working Group, Cross-cutting Team, and Task Force activities, and find group members, news, announcements, and meetings and events. Network members can log in to access documents and communicate with other Network members.
• Click on The Atlas to search Vermont’s food system by people and places, region, keyword, and food system categories.