Food system sustainability, and ways of measuring it, are widely explored and discussed in academic literature.Measurement efforts are challenging because food systems are inherently complex and multifaceted, spanning diverse components, indus-tries, sectors, and scales.Several systems of indica-tors and metrics have been proposed to measure sustainability;however,most existing research focuses either on narrow scales (e.g.,farm level or within a single supply chain), expansive scales that can gloss over complexity (e.g.,national or global assessments), or limited scopes (e.g.,only consider-ing environmental factors).A gap in the literature is a holistic local or regional approach to food sys-tem sustainability that integrates components across the system at a regional scale.In this reflec-tive essay,we describe our development of a framework to measure and track sustainability in such systems.We use a tiered framework that includes five sustainability dimensions and a system of indices, indicators, and metrics that allows for the measurement of important food system charac-teristics in a feasible and reproducible way.We employ a collaborative, transdisciplinary, facilitated team science process to first propose, and then refine,a sustainability assessment framework, using the U.S. state of Vermont as a case study.This paper details our processand progress, as well as reflections on challenges and recommendations for other team scientists.We further propose a plan to implement the framework, collect data, and engage with community members.The experiences and findings described here serve as a foundation for our own team's continued work, as well as a springboard for other similar research efforts.

This reflective essay details my experiences as a professor in a small land-grant university working with counterparts in Puerto Rico. Our work aimed at enhancing food resilience of both regions. While we forged lifelong friendships and learning partner­ships, the structural legacies of colonialism and resource inequality created barriers and ultimately prevented further collaboration. I also discuss how compliance culture in my home institution is not only a nuisance but creates incentives in direct opposition to the goals of our work. I conclude with implications for future partnerships between scholars in regions with different capacities and procedures.

Food system sustainability, and ways of measuring it, are widely explored and discussed in academic literature. Measurement efforts are challenging because food systems are inherently complex and multifaceted, spanning diverse components, indus­tries, sectors, and scales. Several systems of indica­tors and metrics have been proposed to measure sustainability; however, most existing research focuses either on narrow scales (e.g., farm level or within a single supply chain), expansive scales that can gloss over complexity (e.g., national or global assessments), or limited scopes (e.g., only consider­ing environmental factors). A gap in the literature is a holistic local or regional approach to food sys­tem sustainability that integrates components across the system at a regional scale. In this reflec­tive essay, we describe our development of a framework to measure and track sustainability in such systems. We use a tiered framework that includes five sustainability dimensions and a system of indices, indicators, and metrics that allows for the measurement of important food system charac­teristics in a feasible and reproducible way. We employ a collaborative, transdisciplinary, facilitated team science process to first propose, and then refine, a sustainability assessment framework, using the U.S. state of Vermont as a case study. This paper details our process and progress, as well as reflections on challenges and recommendations for other team scientists. We further propose a plan to implement the framework, collect data, and engage with community members. The experiences and findings described here serve as a foundation for our own team’s continued work, as well as a springboard for other similar research efforts.

Strawberries (Fragaria ×ananassa) are an important crop for diversified fruit and vegetable farms in the northeastern United States as well as in Ontario and Québec, Canada. The industry in this cold climate region differs greatly from that in the major strawberry-producing states of Florida and California because strawberries typically represent a smaller share of total farm revenue and are sold primarily through retail markets. In recent years, strawberry production and marketing methods in the northeastern United States and Canada have diversified to meet the unique challenges of the region, including regional demand, extended seasons, and management of an increasingly challenging pest and disease complex. In 2020, we distributed an online survey to 163 commercial producers to obtain a snapshot of marketing and production practices used on strawberry-producing farms in this region and to assess research and outreach needs to better serve the industry. We conducted in-depth case study interviews with a small number of producers after the survey. We found that traditional June-bearing strawberry production continues to represent >50% of production, and that most fruit are grown conventionally. Day-neutral strawberry production was reported by an increased number of producers in New York as well as in Canada, and a higher percentage of day-neutral growers, compared to that of June-bearing producers, reported using protected culture. Botrytis (gray mold), weeds, and leaf spots were the top overall pest pressures indicated by growers. Survey respondents preferred written outreach materials and on-farm meetings to obtain information. Integrated pest management, organic production, and cultivar performance were the top priorities for subjects. The survey and interviews also provided information about the most common strategies for winter protection, frequency of pesticide applications, lifespan of plantings, and other current strawberry production practices in the region. Our survey results may be used by researchers and extension professionals to better serve this diversifying industry.

Hard cider is a sector of a maturing craft beverage industry that continues to experience growth in the United States. Cider is also experiencing challenges, however, such as competition from other alcohol markets, changing consumer preferences, the supply chain, and inflationary pressures. National policy changes may help promote more optimal outcomes for this sector, but public support is important to policy formation. This study uses survey data from a best-worst scaling experiment of consumers in four leading cider-producing states (Michigan, Washington, Wisconsin, and Vermont) to understand preferences toward ten broad cider policy initiatives. The results of multinomial logistic modeling reveal that consumers prefer policies mandating ingredients, nutrition facts, and allergen labeling across all ciders. The least preferred policy initiatives include allowing producers to use vintage on labeling and funding regional cider development. These results have important implications for stakeholders across the industry, including the benefits of labeling disclosures in marketing and the need to improve public awareness of barriers to cider industry development.

The COVID-19 pandemic tested the resilience of food system actors at all levels and across all geog­ra­phies. This study focuses on the experience of Vermont local food businesses by combining two surveys conducted in the first half of 2021: one of foodservice operations that procure food locally and one of Vermont farms that sell directly to con­sumers. We analyzed descriptive statistics, open responses, and conducted Kruskal-Wallis rank sum tests to assess which factors were related to busi­nesses’ financial statuses before and since the pan­demic. Pre-pandemic financial status was related with business type, whether the business went on to receive emergency funds, and financial status since the pandemic. The only significant factor for financial status since the pandemic was prepan­demic financial status. We close with recommen­dations for policy and future research.

Food systems scholars and practitioners are increasingly prioritizing food system resilience (FSR) as a conceptual framework. FSR has been the guiding topic of an ongoing partnership between the University of Vermont (UVM) and the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM), involving faculty, graduate students, and commu­nity partners from both regions to collaborate on research, education, and outreach. The first major output of the UVM-UPRM partnership is a Food Resilience Toolkit developed by faculty and gradu­ate students at both universities, available in written and video formats in both English and Spanish. This research brief provides the results of an application of one component of the toolkit, an asset mapping exercise. We analyzed the results using the community capitals framework to highlight areas of strength and areas in need of investment. We found Vermont has assets to apply to FSR, with built, human, and social capital assets most numerous, while financial and political assets are fewest. We conclude with recommendations which can be vetted in future stakeholder gatherings and a call to apply the toolkit elsewhere.

Agritourism in the US is an emerging sector of the rural tourism economy and an increasingly popular choice for farmers interested in farm diversification. Motivations for engagement in agritourism are diverse, ranging from purely economic to social, familial, and personal. Recent studies have highlighted the benefits of agritourism for both providers and consumers, but there are still gaps in knowledge associated with success factors. To help fill these gaps, we use results from a national survey of agritourism operators to examine perceived success in achieving economic and non-economic goals. Focusing on the three goals ranked most important by agritourism operators, we apply ordinal logistic regression to measure associations between farmer -reported 'success,' farm demographics and farm characteristics. Operators who offer a broad array of products and experiences tend to perceive success across these goals. For example, operators who offer on-farm direct sales and accommodations have higher perceptions of their success at increasing revenue. Women tend to perceive less success in achieving revenue goals, highlighting an important direction of future research. These findings represent a significant contribution to the growing body of literature aimed at identifying success factors for agritourism and are valuable for agritourism operators, researchers, legislators, planners and other local decision-makers.

This article explores the role of farmer networks in building the adaptive capacity of small and diversified farmers in the Northeastern United States. Previous research suggests that farmers' networks are the backbone of practical agricultural knowledge systems in the United States, serving as a critical venue where growers exchange and negotiate new ideas. Drawing upon empirical evidence from a regional survey on climate resilience and a series of focus groups conducted in collaboration with 9 farmer organizations from Pennsylvania to Eastern Canadian provinces, this article examines how the emergence of new ideas and agroecological innovations are influenced by geography, network affiliation, and perceived agency. First, we use regression analysis to identify factors that influence the use of no-till on diversified vegetable and berry farms, which is an emerging innovation in this community. Our analysis shows that geography may not be a significant driver of adoption among the population we sampled, which contrasts with previous research on explanatory factors, yet affiliation with certain farmer networks was significant in predicting the use or intended use of the practice. This quantitative analysis is complemented by qualitative data from a series of focus groups in which farmers identify the characteristics of certain networks which support them in addressing new challenges. Farmers identified that networks support them in learning about new ideas, accessing resources, and engaging in creative problem-solving, through facilitation of spaces for exchange with peers and experts and being responsive to their emerging needs.

Hard cider is an important and growing part of the U.S. beverage market. Previous research suggests there is an opportunity for growers interested in selling locally grown cider-specific apple (Malus domestica) varieties. However, cider apple growers face production, distribution, and marketing challenges. This article fills a gap in the literature using survey data from four states. We find that growers are interested in expanding cider apple production to supply local craft cider makers, but may be constrained by gaps in current production information, such as how to grow cider varieties. Uncertainty about the regional suitability of different varieties, disease management, and the willingness of cider makers to pay a premium for cider apple production constitute significant concerns. Survey respondents most commonly requested information on horticultural qualities of varieties and disease management. Top marketing needs include the ability to garner premium prices. A regional “terroir” approach to cider marketing holds promise.

Agritourism has become a popular pursuit for farms and ranches in the United States, aiming to diversify revenue sources and meet agricultural edu­cation and community-building goals. How­ever, there has been limited research around the challenges experienced by operators and limited access to resources that can help address these chal­lenges. This article fills that gap in knowledge by examining the challenges agritourism opera­tions currently face in the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West regions of the U.S. In this study, we use a mixed-methods approach to the Five Dimen­sions of Access framework developed by Penchansky and Thomas (1981). We opera­tionalize their model in an ordinal probit regression to analyze data from a national survey of agritourism operators, analyzed by region. Results from the quantitative analysis are sub­stantiated using qualitative, open-ended comments from the same survey. The analyses show that agritourism operators encounter different challenges according to their region. We find that operators in most regions of the United States are concerned about agritourism liability. However, states in the West region experience more chal­lenges with regulations, zoning, and permitting, while operators in the South have more problems with e-connectivity. These results can be applied in three ways: support services for agritourism, policy and regulations, and future research.

This paper outlines different types of knowledge and how they are applied to different problem types. It makes the case that co-created knowledge, generated by innovative and collaborative partnerships of scholars within a transdisciplinary framework is best suited to address the most complex and therefore most important problems in food systems scholarship. It applies Transaction Costs theory to highlight some of the options we scholars face and applies these concepts to the issue of Payments for Ecosystems Services., with an analogy and questions to ponder.

: As agricultural conservation priorities evolve to address new complex social-eco-logical problems and emerging social priorities, new conservation incentive program participation and success can be enhanced by incorporating local stakeholder preferences into program design. Our research explores how farmers incorporate ecosystem services into management decisions, their willingness to participate in payment for ecosystem services programs, and factors beyond compensation level that would influence participation. We conducted three focus groups with 24 participants between January of 2019 and May of 2019 in Vermont. Our study revealed that a strong, intrinsic stewardship ethic motivates farmers to enhance ecosystem service provisioning from their farms, though financial pressures often limit decision-making. These results suggest that programs with sufficient levels of payment may attract participation, at least among some types of farmers, to enhance ecosystem services from farms in Vermont. However, farmers may be deterred from participating by perceived unfairness and distrust of the government based on previous experiences with regulations and conservation incentive structures. Farmers also expressed distrust of information about ecosystem services supply that conflicts with their perceptions of agroecosystem functioning, unless delivered by trusted individuals from the extension system. The delivery of context-spe-cific information on how management changes impact ecosystem service performance from trusted sources could enhance farmers’ decisions, and would aptly complement payments. Additionally, farmers expressed a desire to see a program that both achieves additionality and rewards farms who have been stewards, goals that are potentially at odds. Our findings offer important insights for policy makers and program administrators who need to understand factors that will influence farmers’ willingness to participate in payment for ecosystem service programs and other conservation practice adoption initiatives, in Vermont and elsewhere.

To promote sustainability, multistakeholder initiatives (MSIs) are an emerging form of private governance that brings together diverse stakeholders across the agrifood system to advance sustainable agriculture practices. Previous research on MSIs focuses on the organization and structure of various MSIs through coordinator and management perspectives. In this paper, we examine farmers' experiences of participating in a leading MSI metrics program for U.S. agriculture, Field to Market. Through survey and interview methodology, this paper examines farmers' motivations, perceived benefits and power dynamics within Field to Market's metrics program. We find that although being open to sharing sustainability metrics with buyers, farmers struggled to gain tangible benefits. The majority of farmers considered themselves 'already sustainable' in that they made economically efficient farming decisions. As such, participating in Field to Market resulted in little to no changes in farming practices. Because MSI metrics programs work to assist farmers in becoming aware of inefficiencies and encourage changes, the lack of utilizing data generated from the sustainability metrics highlights a significant shortfall of this MSI metrics program. Farmers also perceived buyers as the primary beneficiaries of sustainability metrics since the buyers could now make claims about the sustainability of their products. Additionally, our findings provide nuance related to economic benefits as farmers broadly conceptualized the primary economic benefits as continuing a relationship with buyers who were now asking farmers to join the metrics program and report data. Although the metrics program appears 'voluntary,' farmers perceived few other options when asked to report data since sharing data became an apparent baseline for doing business. This paper contributes an understanding of farmers' experiences of engaging with an MSI metrics program, which helps to illuminate the potential implications of these newly emerging approaches to promoting sustainability. Our findings demonstrate that proponents of this newly emerging approach to promoting sustainability may want to consider the distribution of benefits and the power dynamics embedded in these programs since these programs may carry unintended consequences as they are scaled up. Finally, we posit several additional avenues for future research to further elucidate the potential social implications of MSI metrics programs.

Since its introduction to North America in the 1990s, the invasive swede midge (Contarinia nasturtii) has become an important pest of cruciferous (Brassicaceae) vegetables in the northeast and Great Lakes regions of the United States and the Canadian provinces of Québec and Ontario. Swede midge reduces yield in cruciferous vegetables through larval feeding that distorts growth. Overlapping generations, cryptic larval feeding, and lack of effective biopesticides pose challenges for managing swede midge effectively using current tools. In 2018, we distributed an online survey for commercial vegetable growers in the United States and Canada to measure farm-level economic impacts of swede midge and grower perspectives on new management strategies for this pest. Growers reported losing $3808 US ($4890 Canadian) on average per acre per year due to swede midge–related vegetable crop losses. Both organic and conventional growers expressed an interest in paying more for nonchemical swede midge management vs. insecticides and were interested in trying new management strategies, particularly biological control.

Owners of small- and medium-sized farms are increasingly interested in engaging in agritourism and direct sales in order to increase income, provide family employment, and educate the public about agriculture, among other reasons. Prior research on agritourism operator motivations largely focuses on economic goals and benefits, while acknowledging the strong influence of non-economic factors. However, more research is needed to better understand the nuances and breadth of non-economic motivations underlying agritourism operator decisions. In addition, research on U.S. agritourism tends to be at the state level, which raises questions about overall national trends and inter-study comparability. To address these gaps, we analyzed transcripts from semistructured interviews with small- and medium-sized farm owners engaged in agritourism from five states across the U.S. We examined the results through the theoretical lens of Allport's "contact hypothesis" in order to further understand how agritourism helps operators meet stated goals. Our results suggest that consistent with previous literature, nonmonetary motivations are high priorities for farmers engaged in agritourism. In particular, motivations related to community engagement/leadership and quality-of-life emerged as forceful and reoccurring themes. We found that although Allport's contact hypothesis holds some important explanatory power for understanding agritourism operators' community-related goals-including reducing prejudice and increasing understanding between farmers and consumers in relation to agriculture-increased inter-group contact also has potential to create new conflicts between farmers and neighbors related to tourism. These findings have important implications for future research as well as for policies and programs aimed at supporting agritourism.

Farmers and policy makers pursue management practices that enhance water quality, increase landscape flood resiliency, and mitigate agriculture's contribution to climate change, all while remaining economically viable. This study presents a holistic assessment of how two practices influence the supply of these ecosystem services-the use of an aerator prior to manure application in haylands, and the stacked use of manure injection, cover crops, and reduced tillage in corn silage production. Field data are contextualized by semi-structured interviews that identify influences on adoption. Causal loop diagrams then illustrate feedbacks from ecosystem services onto decision making. In our study, unseen nutrient pathways are the least understood, but potentially the most important in determining the impact of a practice on ecosystem services supply. Subsurface runoff accounted for 64% to 92% of measured hydrologic phosphorus export. Average soil surface greenhouse gas flux constituted 38% to 73% of all contributions to the equivalent CO2 footprint of practices, sometimes outweighing carbon sequestration. Farmers identified interest in better understanding unseen nutrient pathways, expressed intrinsic stewardship motivations, but highlighted financial considerations as dominating decision making. Our analysis elevates the importance of financial supports for conservation, and the need for comprehensive understandings of agroecosystem performance that include hard-to-measure pathways.

Multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) establish metrics and collect farm-level data to measure sustainability in the food system. Rooted in the private sector, MSIs advance goals that were once the responsibility of the state. To make sense of this trend, we distinguish three ideal types of accountability systems in the United States agrifood system: community-based, state-led, and private-ordering systems. We explore the implications of data-driven private-ordering for the distribution of power and accountability along a food supply chain by analyzing Field to Market, a prominent US-based MSI. A central feature of Field to Market are metrics that commodity producers can use to assess their performance and which provide data for food manufacturers and retailers to support sustainability claims. Compared to state-led environmental sustainability efforts from the 1940s until the 1980s, which depended on farmers voluntarily adhering to regulations, metrics rely upon the generation and circulation of data that create a nascent, privately ordered bureaucracy. This change in governance has purported and undeclared consequences for food supply chains. Field to Market's metrics promise continuous improvements in agricultural sustainability and accountability in the food system, but they also help food manufacturers and retailers coordinate their supply chains, facilitate the commodification of farm management data, and reframe the meaning of sustainability.

Our research team interviewed owners or managers (n ­=10) of commercial (restaurants, caterers, food hubs) and institutional (schools, hospitals) foodservice businesses in Vermont in the summer and fall of 2020 to gather information about their experiences and response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article discusses the information sources they utilized to make decisions about operating procedures and business strategies as the pandemic unfolded. Though this is not a comparative analysis to other states, Vermont had strong networks and support systems in place before the onset of COVID-19 that were poised to respond quickly as events unfolded. In addition, these interviews highlighted the importance of both formal and informal information sources, which filled different niches in the information ecosystem.

In recent years, performance metrics and digital technologies have gained substantial support to advance on-farm sustainability. The combined use of metrics and digital technologies represents a potentially important shift in agricultural sustainability governance, which has largely been dominated by the use of standards and certification. Focusing on the U.S. context, this paper examines the operationalization of the emerging metrics and data (M&D) approach to sustainability governance in food and agriculture. Specifically, we analyze the factors undergirding the growing usage of an M&D approach to sustainability, the structure, and practices of such an approach as well as the roles and implications for key actors in agrifood systems. Our analysis indicates that although an M&D approach to an agricultural sustainability transition potentially addresses some of the critiques and limitations associated with the use of standards and certification and has the growing support of a range of stakeholders, it also faces numerous challenges. These include a lack of incentives and insufficient value for growers, concerns over data ownership and access, and barriers to the translation of data into changes in grower management and practices.