LFPA Executive Summary - Vermont

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) will maintain and improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency by partnering with organizations to purchase and distribute local food to underserved communities. VAAFM has identified six nonprofit partners – Abenaki Helping Abenaki, the Center for an Agricultural Economy, Capstone Community Action, the Vermont Foodbank, the Intervale Center and the Vermont Land Trust – for this project and will select additional partners through a competitive request for applications.

These partners were identified through extensive outreach and chosen for their relationships with socially disadvantaged producers and their service to underserved communities. Each organization will use Local Food Purchase Assistance funds to expand procurement relationships with local farmers and producers with an emphasis on socially disadvantaged food producers. Food purchased using LFPA funds will be directed to underserved communities throughout the state.

The competitive request for applications will be open to all Vermont farm and food businesses as well as nonprofit organizations and will embed the goals of the LFPA program within the application, scoring, and review process. LFPA funds will be awarded to successful applicants based on their ability to support socially disadvantaged food producers and underserved communities.