The Cultivating Rural Vitality in Virginia’s Food System (CRRV) project is a collaborative seed project supported by Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Virginia Cooperative Extension aimed at strengthening food system resilience across the state. We are using a participatory, multi-sector approach to engaging a network of actors across Virginia’s food system including but not limited to farmers, local policymakers, planners, researchers, Extension professionals, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector. This project is a  first step towards longer term objectives to develop an actional plan for Virginia food system resilience. Key project activities include: 

  • Research: we seek to understand how other states, regions, and localities advanced participatory food system planning efforts. How did they sustain engagement and achieve impact?

  • Listening Sessions: we will host online listening sessions (and in-person pending funding availability) with actors across Virginia’s food system to understand current efforts, gaps, challenges, and opportunities for Virginia food system resilience. These convenings will directly inform the VA Food System Summit to be hosted in early 2026.

  • Virginia Food System Summit: Building out of the lessons learned from other regions’ and listening session findings and priorities, we will hold a participatory summit focused on Virginia’s Food System Summit in early 2026.

To learn more about this effort or find out how you can get involved, please contact Lia Kelinsky-Jones at kelinskyjones@vt.edu.