BURLINGTON, Vt. — A free webinar, “Innovative Ways to Sell Agricultural Products Direct to Consumers,” will be offered in both English and French on February 15. While geared to agritourism operators and others working with and studying local food systems, anyone is welcome to participate.
The webinar is part of the monthly series, Virtual Agritourism Gatherings, hosted by University of Vermont Extension and the International Workshop on Agritourism. The series features a wide range of agritourism topics with global appeal with sessions led by industry experts.
The first hour (11 a.m.-12 p.m.) of this webinar will be conducted in English and the second in French (12-1 p.m.). Advance registration is required at http://go.uvm.edu/agtourism-gatherings. Please contact Becky Bartlett at (802) 257-7967, ext. 301, if requiring a disability-related accommodation to participate.
Agritourism experts from Ontario, southern Quebec and the Aube region of France will discuss innovative ways to promote agri-food products in local markets, purchase locally sourced supplies and sell direct to consumers. The discussion also will focus on initiatives to promote local products and short distribution chains to bring producers in closer contact with consumers to limit the number of go-betweens.
David Gillespie, a farmer and community organizer from Pontiac, Quebec, will serve as moderator for the webinar.
“The French consider food as a central part of their culture, be it in Europe, Africa or North America,” Gillespie said. “Wherever you go, the French take great pride in their culinary displays at the farm, the markets and restaurants.
“This is the first time in this webinar series that we explore their culture and how they value food. We decided to offer the webinar in both languages to provide an opportunity for those who can only understand French to be able to see what their colleagues practice.”
Future webinar topics include Culinary Innovation on the Farm (March 1), Agritourism and Wellness (April 5) and Agritourism Networking Session (May 10). All webinars are recorded and can be viewed at www.agritourismworkshop.com/gatherings-past.
–UVM Extension