Across the country, farmers` markets support small farms and businesses, improve access to fresh food, and address a variety of other community needs. For more information, a free webinar on the Farmers` Market Legal Toolkit will be held on Thursday, February 1 at 12:00 p.m. EST. To register, visit farmersmarketlegaltoolkit.org or email cafs@vermontlaw.edu. The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) team at Vermont Law School is pleased to partner with FMC and NOFA-Vermont to share a new legal resource for farmers` market operators. Vermont Law School`s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems helps academics and practitioners create practical and robust grants for the food and farming community. CAFS offers an expanded program in food and agriculture for law and policy students, as well as training and legal tools to help build sustainable local and regional food systems. In addition to the Farmers` Markets Legal Kit, recent CFAS projects include the Healthy Food Policy Project, the Master Plan for a National Food Strategy, the National Gleaning Project, the Access to Agricultural Land Legal Project, and the Farm Animal Welfare Certification Guide. For more information about CAFS, visit vermontlaw.edu/cafs, email [email protected] and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. The Farmers` Markets Legal Toolkit contains legal resources, best practice recommendations, and case studies for market leaders on how to select and improve business structures, accept SNAP benefits, and manage common risks. The topics in the toolkit were chosen in response to recurring questions from farmers` market managers: about how the business structure would affect their organizations, what types of legal risks exist and how they can be managed, and how they can make their products available and accessible to all members of the community. The resulting website contains legal resources, best practice recommendations, and case studies for market leaders on how to select and improve business structures, embrace SNAP benefits, and manage common risks. This toolkit includes case studies highlighting real-life experiences of markets across the country, illustrating specific legal issues addressed here.
The fact sheet is available on the Farmers` Markets Legal Toolkit website, along with many other open-source legal resources that help make markets more resilient and accessible. Users of the toolkit can view case studies to see how other markets have solved problems. Featured markets include the Webb City Farmers Market in Missouri; Capital City Farmers Market in Montpelier, Vermont; Durham Farmers Market in North Carolina; and Crescent City Farmers Market in New Orleans, Louisiana. The toolkit answers recurring questions from farmers` market managers who make decisions about building and growing their markets. Topics include how different business structures would affect their organizations, the types of existing legal risks and how to manage them, and how to make local food available and accessible to all members of the community. Toolkit resources include best practice recommendations for managing common risks and accepting the benefits of the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). « The Farmers` Market Legal Toolkit is a unique resource to help market leaders understand legal options before making decisions, » said Erin Buckwalter of NOFA-VT. « The toolkit provides an in-depth understanding of the legal landscape and provides important resource insight for farmers` market organizers. » Farmers` markets play an important role in building resilient local food systems and vibrant communities. The Farmers Market Legal Toolkit supports farmers` markets in the United States. Through open source legal tools that keep market managers informed when making decisions to build and grow their markets. Vermont Law School`s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS), the Farmers Market Coalition (FMC), and the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) today released an online legal toolkit Farmers Market, a free resource to help create resilient and accessible markets across the United States.