Appalachian Food & Agriculture Summit 2012

From AFAS:

"Appalachian Food & Agriculture Summit 2012
Common Roots, Common Goals
March 23-25
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

What is it?
The inaugural Appalachian Food and Agriculture Summit 2012: Common Roots, Common Goals will provide opportunities for connection, education, discourse, and hands on experience focused on engaging in a healthy food system. Through workshops, FOOD, farm tours, hands-on components, poster sessions, and keynotes, this summit should help showcase the benefits of understanding your food system.

Who is invited?
YOU! Students from schools throughout the Appalachian region and community members are welcome.

Is there a cost?
Yes, there will be a registration cost for this event. Several meals will be included in your participation in AFAS 2012. Those looking for housing will have a slightly higher registration cost and those not needing housing for the weekend will get a slightly lower rate.

How do I register?
Check out our website: www.afas2012.com. Registration will be entirely online and will include a short survey.

Want to attend AND participate?
AFAS 2012 is happening March 23 - 25, 2012. Saturday includes workshops and a poster session to showcase projects, businesses, research, programs, organizations in the Appalachian region. If you're interested in hosting a workshop or manning a table during the poster session, please email afasummit@gmail.com

Who's in charge here?
Students involved with the Sustainable Food Corps at Virginia Tech as well as the Civic Agriculture and Food Systems Minor at Virginia Tech are collaborating to put on this inaugural event.

Who can I contact with questions/ comments?
We welcome all questions, comments, concerns, brainstorms for this summit. Email us at afasummit@gmail.com and we will get back in touch with you as soon as possible.

Goals of the AFAS 2012

• Provide opportunities for education and discourse centered around access and support of the Appalachian Food System(s).
• Facilitate hands on experiences associated with Food and Agricultural practice.
• Create connections among participants to help maintain healthy community/regional food systems.
• Create space for a diversity of perspectives.
• Showcase Appalachian Food Systems."

Jan 12 Farm Bill and Public Health Webinar

From the American Public Health Association Legislative Update:

"On Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 2:00pm EST, Healthy Food Action will launch its 2012 Healthy Food, Healthy Farms webinar series titled Visualizing Health and the Farm Bill. Speakers will include Jennifer Billig, with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Roni Neff, with the Center for a Livable Future at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Beth Hoffman with Food+Tech Connect. Speakers will provide an overview of key public health provisions in the Farm bill and will engage in a discussion about the potential public health impacts of the upcoming reauthorization of the Farm Bill later this year.
Interested members can register for the webinar on the Healthy Food Action website."