The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund(VSJF) today announced the hiring of Erica Campbell as Farm to Plate (F2P) Program Director. Campbell will coordinate the implementation of the Farm to Plate Strategic Plan, a 10 year plan to build Vermont’s food system, create new food-related and agricultural jobs, and increase the amount of food produced by and for Vermonters.
The F2P Strategic Plan is one of the most comprehensive food system assessments ever conducted in Vermont. It provides a road map for building the state’s agricultural economy, and creating new jobs by re-localizing food production. The Plan’s Executive Summary was released by VSJF in January 2011, and the full F2P Strategic Plan is being released as chapters are completed.
“The F2P Strategic Plan includes 33 goals and 60 high priority strategies all designed to strengthen and develop Vermont’s local food system,” said Ellen Kahler, VSJF Executive Director. “Moving those strategies into action will require a concerted effort of coordination and collaboration with all of the food system stakeholders in Vermont, and we’re thrilled to have Erica on board to lead that effort, track progress, and move Farm to Plate boldly forward.”
Campbell comes to VSJF after serving as Regional Food Systems Project Manager with the Center For an Agricultural Economy in Hardwick, Vermont. She is an integrated planner and policy analyst with a focus on sustainable communities, is a co-founder and active member of the Waterbury-Duxbury Food Council and serves on her local Planning Commission in Duxbury. She holds a Master of Science in Community Development and Applied Economics from the University of Vermont.
“I am excited to apply my experience in food systems and project management to the Farm to Plate Initiative at VSJF, as we enter the critical phase of Strategic Plan implementation,” said Campbell. “There is remarkable food systems development work being done all over the state right now – such as the rise of local food hubs, farmers markets, CSAs as well as new value-added dairy products and an increased interest in local meat. There must also be a systematic and coordinated effort to nurture its long-term growth as an emerging market. Farm to Plate provides us with an extraordinary road map to get there, and I’m eager to get started.”
The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) develops markets for sustainably produced goods and services to help Vermont businesses create jobs for the next generation of Vermonters. The VSJF provides grants, technical assistance, and loans to entrepreneurs, businesses, and farmers, to accelerate the development of Vermont’s green economy.
The Farm to Plate (F2P) Initiative was born out of the 2009 Vermont legislative session, when the Legislature directed the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund to develop a 10-year strategic plan to strengthen Vermont’s food system, in consultation with other local and statewide stakeholders. The VSJF is working closely with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets to implement the plan.
