Publications, Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation

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    Mutual Aid for Food Systems Change in the Time of COVID-19
    Trozzo, Katie; Niewolny, Kimberly L. (Virginia Tech, 2020-04-01)
    Mutual aid is a way for individuals and groups in a community to support one another in times of crisis. Often mutual aid initiatives or projects emerge after “natural disasters” in the form of relief and disaster recovery services, but they also exist as a way of life for some communities and in response to “un-natural disasters” that many groups and communities face every day as a result of historical injustices, social inequities, and religious persecution. In this way, mutual aid can be understood as work rooted in individual agency and collective action to address both the immediate needs and structural conditions a community seeks to address, such as by providing affordable and safe housing, food security, appropriate health care, or accessible transportation. What is important is that the mobilization work draws attention to the needs of all, but especially those most vulnerable to the conditions the community seeks to change (Spade, 2020).
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    Hope in Times of Crisis
    Niewolny, Kimberly L. (Virginia Tech, 2020-04-01)
    Access to trustworthy information is significant during a world health crisis. The Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation is working with our partners to provide current information and resources that are relevant for food systems change makers and stakeholders on and off campus. We are also prioritizing creating space for reflection on the current conditions in the food system to more deeply understand how this pandemic impacts our everyday lives now and into the future. Through careful reflection and learning, we hope to create new possibilities for the work that lies ahead. This will include a critical focus on uplifting the needs and concerns of those most vulnerable to disruptions in the system. In this effort, it will prove crucial that we listen to our frontline workers, organizers, students, and scholars whose practice, policy, and scholarship have judiciously crafted food movement possibilities in which emphasize justice and fairness as core values: agroecology, community food security, food justice, food sovereignty, and more.
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    The Significance of Local and Regional Food Systems for Community Resilience: If Not Now, Then When?
    Bendfeldt, Eric S. (Virginia Tech, 2020-04-02)
    With our busy schedules, and under normal conditions, we often take working farms and landscapes for granted and do not notice the beauty of our surroundings, the cultural fabric of society, or consider the foundational economic and community impact of farm and food businesses. It is sometimes forgotten how interconnected we are as we go to work or move about our daily activities. Presently, the significance of local and regional food systems to community resilience cannot be overstated. During this unsettling time of social distancing and working to contain the coronavirus (COVID-19), we may have a brief moment to reflect on and appreciate how a strong agricultural base and diverse food value chain is something important to be protected, appreciated, and planned for at the local, regional, and national level as our communities change in response to the current situation.
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    Farm Stress and Grief in the Time of COVID-19
    Mason, Garland (Virginia Tech, 2020-04-02)
    I recently read an article from the Harvard Business Review titled “That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief.” It’s filed under the category of “Stress” in their archives. Thinking about the stress farmers face every day it seemed pertinent to share this new form of stress that is descending on farm families as they cope with the realities of a global pandemic. Coronavirus has resulted in ‘stay-at-home’ mandates and social distancing. Coronavirus has left us feeling isolated and uncertain.
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    Struggle and Adaptation During COVID-19 Food System Disruptions
    Bendfeldt, Eric S.; Niewolny, Kimberly L. (Virginia Tech, 2020-05-08)
    This time of collectively enduring and working to contain the coronavirus (COVID-19) presents many challenges to people, communities, states, nations, and the world. Currently, we are urged to stay-at-home if possible, keep social distance and shelter in place to flatten the curve, protect people at high risk and most vulnerable to infection, and curtail the asymptomatic spread of the virus. Economically, people are facing and experiencing the disruption of schedules, careers, livelihoods, and protracted financial losses. Businesses, particularly in the food service and hospitality sectors, are experiencing declining sales, decreased revenue, and tremendous uncertainty. Food economics Professor William Masters of Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy states the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is “the largest loss of income and decline in gross domestic product caused by a single identifiable event” (Jiminez, 2020, p. 2).
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    Going the Greater Distance
    Hilbert, Hunter; Trozzo, Katie (Virginia Tech, 2020-06-10)
    A story of adaptation and service about a general store in New Market, Virginia during the pandemic. This short vignette is part of our “Virginia Food Systems and COVID-19 Story Collection Project” that aims to highlight, collect, and share stories of hope and resilience in our food system amidst the pandemic.
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    Joining Forces
    Hilbert, Hunter; Trozzo, Katie (Virginia Tech, 2020-06-15)
    A story highlighting an initiative to feed families in need while supporting local restaurants in Roanoke, VA. This short vignette is part of our “Virginia Food Systems and COVID-19 Story Collection Project” that aims to highlight, collect, and share stories of hope and resilience in our food system amidst the pandemic.
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    Resiliency Gardens Taking Root
    Hilbert, Hunter; Trozzo, Katie (Virginia Tech, 2020-06-22)
    A story of community viability and aid through an initiative directed by a former community engagement manager. This short vignette is part of our “Virginia Food Systems and COVID-19 Story Collection Project” that aims to highlight, collect, and share stories of hope and resilience in our food system amidst the pandemic.
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    Paying it Forward
    Hilbert, Hunter; Trozzo, Katie (Virginia Tech, 2020-06-22)
    A glimpse of hope and help through an act of care by the University of Virginia’s Dining Services. This short vignette is part of our “Virginia Food Systems and COVID-19 Story Collection Project” that aims to highlight, collect, and share stories of hope and resilience in our food system amidst the pandemic.
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    Fulfilling the Needs
    Hilbert, Hunter (Virginia Tech, 2020-06-27)
    Insight on ensuring a community’s needs are met and a story of caring for one’s own — this short vignette is part of our “Virginia Food Systems and COVID-19 Story Collection Project” that aims to highlight, collect, and share stories of hope and resilience in our food system amidst the pandemic.
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    Honest to Goodness Dairy and Community
    Bendfeldt, Eric S. (Virginia Tech, 2020-06-29)
    An honest commitment to dairy farming, community relations, agricultural education, and adaptive business planning by Richlands Dairy and Creamery. This short vignette is part of our “Virginia Food Systems and COVID-19 Story Collection Project” that aims to highlight, collect, and share stories of hope and resilience in our food system amidst the pandemic.
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    Caring for Those in Quarantine
    Hilbert, Hunter (Virginia Tech, 2020-06-30)
    Arranging for the needs of quarantined individuals to be safely and understandably met — this short vignette is part of our “Virginia Food Systems and COVID-19 Story Collection Project” that aims to highlight, collect, and share stories of hope and resilience in our food system amidst the pandemic.
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    Distributing Pork During a Pandemic
    Hilbert, Hunter (Virginia Tech, 2020-07-06)
    Getting food from the farm to a consumer’s table looks a little different for some during the Coronavirus outbreak; this short vignette is part of our “Virginia Food Systems and COVID-19 Story Collection Project” that aims to highlight, collect, and share stories of hope and resilience in our food system amidst the pandemic.
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    Rearranging to Fit the Times
    Hilbert, Hunter (Virginia Tech, 2020-07-10)
    Reallocating the use of brewery space to serve the community — this short vignette is part of our “Virginia Food Systems and COVID-19 Story Collection Project” that aims to highlight, collect, and share stories of hope and resilience in our food system amidst the pandemic.
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    Extension Promotes DIY Aquaponics
    Hilbert, Hunter (Virginia Tech, 2020-07-10)
    A Zoom session on DIY aquaponics and all of the “how to” offered to people looking for new ways to supplement their diet — this short vignette is part of our “Virginia Food Systems and COVID-19 Story Collection Project” that aims to highlight, collect, and share stories of hope and resilience in our food system amidst the pandemic.
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    Mutual Aid and a Vision
    Hilbert, Hunter (Virginia Tech, 2020-07-15)
    A story of the Future Economy Collective’s mutual aid initiative in the New River Valley. This short vignette is part of our “Virginia Food Systems and COVID-19 Story Collection Project” that aims to highlight, collect, and share stories of hope and resilience in our food system amidst the pandemic.
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    The Beauty of Relationships and Shared Values in a Storm
    Bendfeldt, Eric S.; Price, French (Virginia Tech, 2020-07-16)
    A coalition of regional partners working collaboratively and cooperatively to keep communities fed, farmers engaged, and local businesses and organizations operating. This short vignette is part of our “Virginia Food Systems and COVID-19 Story Collection Project” that aims to highlight, collect, and share stories of hope and resilience in our food system amidst the pandemic.
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    Embracing Change with New Relationships
    Hilbert, Hunter (Virginia Tech, 2020-07-20)
    Recent changes interrupted typical operations and regular avenues for sales at Four Oaks Farms; this short vignette is part of our “Virginia Food Systems and COVID-19 Story Collection Project” that aims to highlight, collect, and share stories of hope and resilience in our food system amidst the pandemic.
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    A Nimble Farmers Market Adapts and Pivots
    Mason, Garland (Virginia Tech, 2020-07-27)
    As the pandemic shuttered farmers markets across the state, the Madison County Farmers Market used its online platform to nimbly pivot to online sales, contributing to the community’s food security during a time of panic and bare shelves in conventional retail sites. This short vignette is part of our “Virginia Food Systems and COVID-19 Story Collection Project” that aims to highlight, collect, and share stories of hope and resilience in our food system amidst the pandemic.
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    Bringing Fresh Food into Petersburg
    Maxwell, Morgan (Virginia Tech, 2020-08-11)
    Making fresh, local foods more accessible in Petersburg is being achieved through a POP! Market; this vignette is part of our “Virginia Food Systems and COVID-19 Story Collection Project” that aims to highlight, collect, and share stories of hope and resilience in our food system amidst the pandemic.