Envisioning the Future of New York State’s Food System with CADE

What does the future of New York State’s food system look like and how can we all work together to ensure our agricultural future?

This is an important question for all food system stakeholders, and we are proud to share that the Cornell Small Farms Program has joined the Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship (CADE), the Dyson School of Cornell University, and faculty from Columbia University, to work toward the answer.

In a recent announcement of this VISION 2050 initiative, our director Anu Rangarajan shared:

“There are exciting things happening across the State on issues ranging from Agribusiness innovation, farmland protection and access, soil health and the role of farmers in supporting carbon sequestration, etc. By bringing leaders and the constituencies they represent together, we can create the building blocks for a common, long-term Vision for New York that stakeholders can rally around — one that takes into account the perspective of farmers, supply chain businesses, investors, thought leaders in food justice and climate change, researchers, policymakers, ag agency representatives, among others.”

One aspect of this collaboration will be a series of roundtable discussions for food system stakeholders August to September 2021, where we will discuss New York State’s agricultural future. These roundtables will help map efforts underway to develop the State’s food system, build bridges among stakeholders, and identify priorities for framing VISION 2050.

Ultimately, the VISION 2050 initative will produce a comprehensive document, expected to be published in spring 2022, that will capture what stakeholders want to see for the future, and provide recommendations to policymakers

Learn more about VISION 2050 on the CADE website.