Janine, Gene & Ben with High Tunnel

Vermont's growing season  is short, and its winters are dark and long - at least compared with other parts of the country, and with the countries of origin of many of the area's resettled refugees.

In the winter, it's not uncommon for Vermont's resettled refugees to suffer from social isolation, sedentary lifestyles, and lack of access to fresh, healthy foods in the main resettlement site of Burlington.

We have continued work with New Farms for New Americans (NFNA), a program of the Association of Africans Living in Vermont, Inc. (AALV), and UVM Extension's EFNEP program to engage resettled refugee commercial farmers and/or gardeners in:

  •     trainings in season extension techniques and winter food storage,
  •     assistance with accessing available local farmland,
  •     developing business resources, and
  •     a focus on adopting good winter health and nutrition habits,

all with the primary goal of improving access to agricultural expertise, healthy foods and social interaction year round.

Project Team

AALV Team & Indira

Interested in knowing more about the Center's work or seeking additional information?  Contact Extension via the short form on this page and one of our colleagues will help get you the resources you need.

Contact

Ben Waterman, New American Farmer & Land Access Coordinator, 802-656-9142 or ben.waterman@uvm.edu

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Funder

Funded in part by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement

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