By Madeline Reynolds
Volunteers sort seedlings for Sustainable Woodstock’s Grow Your Own Garden program, which provides seeds and seedlings to local families who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford to grow a garden.
On March 19th, during a statewide meeting of the Farm to Plate Network, updates from Vermont’s congressional representatives and state leaders revealed an unsettling picture of the state’s food security future. Amid concerns about federal shutdowns and layoffs, participants expressed apprehension over abrupt programmatic changes. Notably, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture announced the termination of two cooperative agreements with the USDA: Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) and Local Food for Schools and Child Care (LFSCC). These programs were deemed to “no longer effectuate agency priorities,” leaving farmers, schools, and communities scrambling to adapt.
The LFPA program had supported food access and distribution initiatives across Vermont, involving over 80 farms in 13 counties. A 2025 agreement with the USDA aimed to expand this program further, funding 14-17 food access projects and supporting 50 food producers and small businesses with nearly $500,000. Similarly, the LFSCC program connected local food producers with schools, creating 71 new market relationships and benefiting over 100 farms. Its termination is estimated to impact 87,000 Vermont children, with funding cuts of $1.2 million.
Farmers on the call expressed frustration as they reconsidered their budgets and strategies for survival. Schools voiced concerns about feeding students under these new constraints with little notice. Congressional representatives conveyed their own frustrations at the rapid pace of change. Senator Welch called in to emphasize Vermont’s need for these programs and assured attendees that efforts were underway to mitigate the damage.
Despite these setbacks, hope emerged during the meeting when the author of the Vermont Food Security Roadmap led a visualization exercise imagining Vermont in 2035—a time when all residents have access to safe, nutritious food for healthy and active lives. This vision offered a stark contrast to current challenges but underscored a collective aspiration for another way forward.
Sustainable Woodstock believes that access to food is a fundamental human right. The interconnectedness of environmental sustainability and food security is evident; unsustainable practices that harm biodiversity also threaten food production. The growing recognition of “food as medicine” highlights how poor diets—the leading cause of death in the U.S.—impact individuals’ health and result in high healthcare costs.
The Vermont Food Security Roadmap, developed by over 600 contributors through a two-year process, provides strategies to achieve equitable food security by strengthening Vermont agriculture and ensuring resilience against crises like climate change. It emphasizes systemic changes over individual interventions, addressing the intersectionality of root causes such as affordable housing, transportation, grocery store accessibility, and reliable food distribution networks.
The roadmap calls for bold action from policymakers, communities, and individuals alike. It envisions a future where local farming thrives alongside dignified access to nourishing food for all Vermonters. As one participant stated: “We are not helpless.” Achieving this goal will require collective efforts—growing food locally, supporting community events, and advocating for policies that prioritize food security.
By keeping the vision of “In 2035, all Vermonters will be food secure” front and center, Vermont can work toward a future where no parent struggles to feed their family, and every resident enjoys consistent access to nutritious meals.
