This FoodPolicyWiki (FPW) was developed from a Public Policy class project of Fall 2006 at the University of Vermont. Each student researched current policy tools that impact some aspect of local food production in Vermont. Insights for the class project were provided by the Intervale Center which has a mission to develop farm-and land-based enterprises that generate economic and social opportunity while protecting natural resources.

The goal for this site is two-fold:

1. To provide a repository and/or portal for information about polices which affect local agriculture.
2. To encourage members of the community (you) to add what you know so that our community, as a whole, can benefit.

Obviously, this job is too big for a single person or organization to complete. Because policies and actors are always changing, please add what you know. Each section has places to add information on policies, policy tools, policy actors, and policy scope. Read this for assistance on using this technology.

When considering issues of research, it's important to have an understanding not only of the information you gather, but the reason you decided to gather it in the first place. Formal research expects certain key points and structures; items that will assist with the focus and flow of that research.

This site is divided into five major sections:

CYCLE

The Cycle portion of this site is sub-divided into five sections which represent the basic food/agriculture production process:

Natural Resources covers anything connected with the "pre-production" phases of agriculture including soil, water, seeds, etc.

Process covers the actual production process of the food or crop, as well as any value-added processing.

Transport/Distribute covers what happens after production but before consumption.

Wholesale covers direct sales by producers.

Retail/Consumer covers the involvement of "the middleman" whether a store, restaurant, etc.

GLOSSARY

Definition of terms.

POLICIES

List of current and pending policies that affect agriculture on a local or national level.

PROBLEMS

Listing of common problems that affect agricultural matters.

TOOLS

Listing of policy tools which can help to alleviate or solve the problems.

Initial content for FPW was analyzed by graduate students in CDAE, CRS, and MPA at University of Vermont.