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The Food Systems Research Center (FSRC) is excited and proud to highlight the graduating senior Lilah Krugman (she/her). Lilah was a recipient of Food SURF 2022 and was recently named the Lawrence K. Forcier Outstanding Senior Award for 2023, which is given annually to one graduating undergraduate student within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) for their combined academic achievement, community and campus leadership, and distinguished character. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Lilah is a Food Systems major with a Community and International Development minor at ����̽̽’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS).

Inspired to study Food Systems at ����̽̽ through her prior involvement in her high school’s community farm program, Lilah describes her first spark of passion and understanding of the importance of the field.

“The farm director and some high school students would grow the food and donate it to a local mutual aid network. I remember talking to the person who ran the farm. She would use terms and concepts I didn’t understand at the time, speaking about the food justice movement more generally, and it really blew my mind! That experience then propelled me into the Food Systems major.”

Throughout her time at ����̽̽, Lilah became active in the on and off-campus communities. She is the current president of ����̽̽’s Food Recovery Network chapter, an organization with over 200 locations at universities across the nation. At ����̽̽, the club focuses on reclaiming food from dining halls to reduce food waste and improve food security in the surrounding community, sharing what it reclaims with the Rally Cat’s Cupboard.

In the spring semester of her junior year, Lilah began the first of her two internships with the Addison County Relocalization Network (ACORN), creating outreach material and working within their prescription CSA Farmacy: Food is Medicine program. Lilah’s work inspired the subject of her honors thesis and her Food SURF work, mentored by Dr. Vic Izzo, Research Associate and Lecturer of Plant and Soil Sciences. Lilah partnered with ACORN to explore what potential impacts their Farmacy: Food Is Medicine program might have on the lives and experiences of participants. Through interviews, participant observation, and analysis of survey results, Lilah describes some of her most notable research findings.

“We found some great results that shed light on the program’s importance in decreasing the cost of purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables for participants and support for nutrition education through access, as opposed to the standard version of nutrition education, such as brochures or cooking classes. We also found that the program had a powerful ability to create feelings of enjoyment or connection for those enrolled.”

Lilah’s analysis of ACORN’s Farmacy: Food Is Medicine program and honors thesis results are being used by the organization to develop promotional and fundraising material in support of the program. After completing her two internships with ACORN and subsequent honors thesis, Lilah continues working part-time with the organization, moving to full-time once she graduates in May, with the potential idea of entering graduate school on the horizon.

Please join us in honoring and congratulating Lilah for her fantastic work, accomplishments, and community engagement within Vermont Food Systems. We are especially honored to support the work of undergraduate students like Lilah to make a positive difference on our food system.

About Us:
The ����̽̽ Food Systems Research Center (FSRC) uncovers solutions to pressing issues through the lens of food and farming. As pioneers in USDA-funded research, we’re at the forefront of discovering how what’s on our plate affects our society and the planet. Visit our website or follow us on