Hudson Valley Food Systems Summit: EMERGENCE
"How do we make the act of asking nature’s advice a normal part of everyday inventing?" -Janine Benyus

Wednesday, August 6, 2025, OMEGA: 150 Lake Drive, Rhinebeck, NY 12572

REGISTER HERE

The Hudson Valley Food Systems Summit is a transformative gathering that invites farmers, policymakers, researchers, food entrepreneurs, and community leaders to reimagine the region’s food systems through the lens of biomimicry. This summit is not simply a meeting—it is an opportunity to realign our work with nature’s wisdom and embrace a new paradigm where humans and ecosystems thrive together.

The day unfolds as a journey through three interconnected themes: Ethos, Reconnect, and Emulate, culminating in a collective vision of Emergence.

• Morning: Ethos
  Begin the day by grounding in values. Explore how gratitude, responsibility, and respect for nature can guide food systems transformation. Through storytelling and shared reflections, participants connect with the moral foundation of their work, inspired by nature’s generosity and interconnectedness.

• Midday: Reconnect
  Shift focus to relationships—between people, communities, and nature. Through interactive exercises like mapping networks inspired by mycorrhizal fungi or ecosystems, participants deepen their understanding of collaboration. This session fosters radical partnerships that mirror nature’s mutualism and adaptability.

• Afternoon: Emulate
  Dive into the brilliance of biomimicry as participants explore nature-inspired strategies for food systems innovation. From aquaponics mimicking aquatic ecosystems to regenerative farming modeled on forest cycles, this session celebrates the creative potential of learning from nature’s playbook.

Finally, the summit culminates in Emergence, where participants synthesize insights from the day to envision a resilient food system rooted in biomimicry principles. Together, they explore how asking nature’s advice can become integral to every decision, whether designing equitable policies or creating regenerative practices.

This summit is more than an event; it is a reminder that nature already holds the solutions we need. By learning from their patterns, principles, and genius, we can transform the Hudson Valley’s food systems into models of sustainability, equity, and abundance for generations to come.

Schedule:

8:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m.
Check-in

10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Opening/Keynote: Biomimicry Thinking for Local Food Systems Transformations

11:00 a.m.–Noon
Session One: ETHOS
Session 1 focuses on building a strong base that grounds our work. What are our values, where does our responsibility lie, and who is responsible for making this work possible? What are we doing this for?

Noon–1:00 p.m.
Lunch in Dining Hall

1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Session Two: (RE)CONNECT
Session 2 focuses on relationship building. How can we stimulate and encourage radical collaboration and deepen our work in the community along with our connection to nature?

2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.
Session Three: EMULATE
Session 3 focuses on specific patterns, principles, strategies, and functions that we can apply to our food systems work moving forward. Funding strategies included.

3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Closing Session: EMERGENCE
How do we move forward in the work with these new tenants?

4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
Final Remarks/Local Networking

5:15 p.m.–6:15 p.m.
Reception in OCSL: Open to Emergence and Beyond Delicious Faculty & Participants