Emma Scott Transitions from the Food Law & Policy Clinic 

FLPC Associate Director and Clinical Instructor Emma Scott recently transitioned out of her role to join the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) at Vermont Law and Graduate School, as Director of the, Food and Agriculture Clinic. We at FLPC are incredibly excited for this next chapter of Emma’s work, and grateful for all her salient contributions to the FLPC team in her time with us. We sat down with Emma to get her reflections on her time here and where she sees the food law and policy landscape heading in the future. An edited interview follows.  

Q: What are you most proud of accomplishing during your time at FLPC? 

ES: I am most proud of the fact that all my FLPC colleagues, past and present, trust me and feel comfortable coming to me to talk through ideas and challenges. The relationships I have formed here, I will treasure forever. More tangibly, I’m proud of the reports we published as part of the Farm Bill Law Enterprise with recommendations for the farm bill. While the legislation remains in limbo, I learned so much through leading that process and I think the results are incredibly comprehensive and high-quality. I’m particularly proud of the Farmworkers report, which focuses attention on the community of workers essential to the entire food and farming system but who seldom receive support through this legislative package. I’m hopeful that our advocacy will contribute to that changing in the next farm bill.  

Q: What excites you most about the new opportunity at your next organization? 

ES: Honestly, doing more of the same! I’m excited to continue and expand my work focused on food system workers and to be doing it in tandem with students and supporting their professional development. I’m also looking forward to being at a school rooted in a rural community and with a major focus on environmental law and food systems. The Food & Agriculture Clinic at CAFS/VLGS and FLPC are, to my knowledge, the only active law school clinics devoted to food systems policy, and we collaborate frequently. It feels like a natural next step—I will still be in close touch with my FLPC friends but can grow further in leading my own courses and clinic. 

Q: What are some of the biggest challenges and opportunities that will shape the food law and policy landscaping in the coming years? 

ES: Food is a space where we see lots of bipartisan opportunities, but partisanship still stymies movement on shared legislative priorities. The farm bill is a current example. We also see lots of great ideas coming out of the executive branch but then shifting priorities between administrations can make efforts stop-and-go, as can litigation aimed at gumming up regulatory actions designed to improve human health and the environment. Even the specter of litigation slows down critical and worthwhile administrative action. I’m excited by innovation happening on the local level and in the private sphere that aims to fill these gaps, particularly movements and initiatives led by workers and underserved farmers. Still, I think policymakers have an important role to play in scaling and investing in these initiatives and so I hope to see more collaboration.   

We wish Emma best of success in her work and look forward to collaborating with her in her new role!