Building Resilient Food Systems in Virginia: Opportunities, Priorities, and Discussion

Date: September 8, 2026, 3:00 – 4:00 pm EST
Where: Virtual (Zoom)
Register: https://tinyurl.com/h7rnyzjm

Please join the Virginia Tech Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation (CFSCT) for the next installment of its Center Fellow Speaker Series.

Food systems across the country are navigating disruptions, uncertainty, and change. What can food system practitioners, policymakers, community leaders, and producers do to build resilience in their own communities? This session shares findings and lessons from the Cultivating Resilience in Virginia’s Food Systems initiative, which brought together stakeholders to identify what resilience means, where opportunities exist, and what priorities matter most for the future. Participants will learn about key themes that emerged across sectors and discuss how these findings can inform action in their own settings. While rooted in Virginia, the opportunities and strategies identified through this work have relevance for food systems resilience efforts beyond the Commonwealth.

Presented by:

• Lia Kelinsky-Jones, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education and Assistant Director for Research, CFSCT, Virginia Tech
• Kim Niewolny, Professor, Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education, and Director, CFSCT, Virginia Tech
• Katie Trozzo, Food Systems Network and Outreach Specialist, Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education and Assistant Director for Outreach and Engagement, CFSCT, Virginia Tech

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/h7rnyzjm

Questions or accommodation requests: contact Lia Kelinsky-Jones at liak9@vt.edu (accommodation requests at least 10 days prior to the event).