October 31, 2013
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, this week the Vermont Farm to Plate (F2P) Network held its third annual convening. This marked the move to the third year of the F2P Network’s existence, and another significant milestone.
At the first convening in 2011, there was a mix of enthusiasm, optimism, curiosity, impatience, and some reticence. Many were intrigued by the notion of this new form of multi-organizational collaboration seeking to double local food production in 10 years time, boost the state economy, and address issues of food access and security. Read More
October 6, 2011
Offered to and gleaned from the Farm to Plate Network proceedings in Vermont:
- “For the human species to evolve, the conversation must deepen.” – Margaret Mead
- “‘The system’ is not out there; it is the way we work together.” – Yaneer Bar-Yam
- “Do what you do best and link to the rest.” – Jeff Jarvis
- “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family; whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” – Jane Howard
- “Networks invite us to focus on contributions before credentials.” – Gary Hamel
- “Transparency of information breeds self-correcting behavior.” – Thad Allen
- “When it comes to collaboration, it’s about trust.” – Tom Martin
- “If you don’t think that small things can make a big difference, you’ve never slept in a bed with a mosquito!” – Arianna Huffington
- “Discover a few vital behaviors, change those, and problems – no matter their size – topple like a house of cards.” – Kerry Patterson
- “I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there.” – Richard Feynman
August 31, 2011
|Photo by Richard-G|http://www.flickr.com/photos/richard-g/3573703421|
It’s been my pleasure to partner with Beth Tener of New Directions Collaborative these past few weeks in support of the Vermont Farm-to-Plate Network as it evolves a governing structure to support its goal of boosting local food production by 5% in the next 10 years. As part of our work, Beth and I are designing and facilitating two convenings that feature stories of successful networks, tips for doing “net work,” and robust conversation about what will work best in support of Farm to Plate. One resource to which we’ve turned is the Working Wikily blog, which featured a post in May that offers additional insights into what stands behind the successes of the much lauded RE-AMP Network. In a discussion featuring convenor Jenny Curtis of the Garfield Foundation and consultants Rick Reed and Heather McLeod Grant, a number of points are made that resonate and merit consideration for leveraging the power of networks. Read More