Looking back on 2023: RESPONSE, RECOVERY, AND RESILIENCE IN ACTION

On the heels of a global pandemic, Vermont experienced firsthand how the climate crisis is impacting our weather patterns – early thaw, late frosts, flooding, and a summer with record high precipitation. We have also seen the value of our response and Intervale Center programming in the face of these challenges. Whether helping a farm to harvest vegetables in advance of flooding, administering a farmer flood recovery fund, or bringing political leaders to the Intervale Center to educate them on the impacts of climate change on food producers, we were there on the frontline ready to assist with immediate needs while continuing our decades-long work of strengthening Vermont’s food system.

We continued to support farms across Vermont as they built more resilient businesses, adapted to weather or market conditions, and provided immeasurable economic and cultural benefits to Vermont. We gleaned, grew, and organized free food for Vermonters unable to meet their food security needs. We grew and planted tens of thousands of trees and shrubs as a key element of enhancing climate resiliency and strengthening our food system. And in July, we responded immediately to the worst flood in the Intervale in almost 100 years while ensuring safe and positive community access to the open spaces, gardens, and farms we support on the lands we steward. 

We proved ourselves again as the organization our community needs as we tackle growing challenges and meet the opportunities facing our food systems. Not only are we frontline responders in a crisis, we have well-developed programming that continues to enhance climate resiliency, food security, and the vitality of communities across Vermont. We have been called on to lead across our programs, and we are doing just that – boldly and gracefully.

Past impact reports