This year’s ASFS/AFHVS Annual meeting and Conference invites dialogue about the importance of collaboration and innovation across the food system. Such dialogue can occur at many levels: across disciplines, between locations, amongst community members.
Vermont is a perfect location to consider both the present realities and future possibilities of an integrated and sustainable food system. University of Vermont’s Food Systems Initiative is a new trans-disciplinary initiative which seeks to strengthen the viability of regional food systems for globally scaled issues through research, education, and outreach. UVM faculty affiliated with the Food Systems initiative represent a wide range of disciplines and are engaged in collaborative research, including such topics as gender, class and food work; the economic and health effects of sugar sweetened beverage taxes, dairy cattle health in food production systems and the ethics of the food system.
Food Systems collaborations extend beyond the University. For example, Vermont’s Farm to Plate initiative is designed to increase economic development in Vermont’s food and farm sector, create jobs in the food and farm economy and improve access to healthy local foods. What will such collaborations do to help shape our future food system? How do we understand the many innovations occurring every day, not just in Vermont but at universities, government entities, NGOs and on the ground all over the world?
Submissions are strongly encouraged in the following four formats:

• Lightning talk* (five minutes maximum, similar to Pecha Kucha, Ignite, talk20, etc.)
• Posters (eligible for awards, including a student category)
• Pre-organized Scholarly Panels (papers submitted to discussants and panel members in advance)
• Pre-Organized Pedagogy and Outreach sessions (roundtables, workshops, etc.)

Submissions are also accepted for 15 minute conventional paper presentations to be grouped with 2 to 3 other papers by members of the program committee. We strongly encourage practitioners, activists, government staff, and those with other practical knowledge of food and agricultural systems to participate, in addition to academics. We ask submitters formulating panels, roundtables and workshops to consider including participants whose orientation goes beyond the narrowly academic.
We especially encourage submissions that speak directly to the theme, but also welcome submissions on all aspects of food, nutrition, and agriculture, including those related to:

• Art, Media, & Literary Analyses
• Research Methods
• Environment & Climate Change
• Agroecology & Conservation
• Ethics & Philosophy
• Community Engagement
• Gender, Race & Ethnicity
• Globalization
• Nutrition and Nutrition Policy
• Social Justice
• Farm to School; Farm to Institution
• Pedagogy
• Politics, Policies & Governance in National & Global Contexts
• Social Action & Social Movements
• Sustainability

Student Involvement

Students are especially encouraged to submit proposals.  The professional societies include many members who have pioneered transdisciplinary work in food systems. It is our responsibility to encourage and foster this next generation of scholars, researchers and practitioners who will build on those foundations.

Abstract Submission

Please note: Due to strong increases in the number of abstract submissions for this conference in recent years, in 2014, only one submission per person as lead author or submitter will be accepted (in any format).