Jiff Martin

Sustainable Food Systems Extension Educator

Since joining UConn Extension in 2010, Jiff Martin has been an active manager of several extension programs related to food and farming in Connecticut. She is a team member of UConn’s Center for Land Use Education and Research. In 2012, she led the creation of the Solid Ground Farmer Training Program which offers a suite of trainings, field days, online courses, and videos for beginning farmers. To increase market access for new, small farm businesses, she has directed several buy local initiatives, including the Grown Connected marketing initiative in Northeast Connecticut and the Put Local On Your Tray Program that links local farms to school cafeterias. In 2023, she will launch Extension’s new online course Climate Adaptations Strategies for CT Farmers. A pilot training program, Leaders of Color in Conservation Training Program, has unearthed new pathways to connect farmers of color to financial and technical resources.

Jiff’s service includes Vice Chair of the CT State Farmland Preservation Advisory Board, and Board member of Connecticut Farmland Trust. She has served as a member of the CT Dept. of Agriculture’s DEI Working Group. She is credited with launching two AmeriCorps service-learning programs (FoodCorps CT & Connecticut Food Justice VISTA Project). Jiff received the White House Champions for Change Award in Sustainable Agriculture in 2015 and the Northeast Region Excellence in Extension Award in 2023. Prior to joining UConn Extension, she was State Director for American Farmland Trust. Jiff received her MS in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from Tufts University and an MA in Development Economics and International Trade from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy.