Advancing Economic Growth Through Food Systems

Advancing Economic Growth Through Food Systems

October 10, 2018 || Planning For Healthy Communities Conference Jared Cates, Community Food StrategiesCarolina Farm Stewardship Association

CFSA is a farmer-driven, membership-based

non-profit that supports farming that is good for consumers, good for our farmers and farmworkers, and good for the land.

www.carolinafarmstewards.org

What We Do:

Farm ServicesFood SystemsEducationAdvocacy

CFSA Policy Team

Rochelle Sparko

Roland McReynolds

Glenn Kern

Jared Cates

www.communityfoodstrategies.org

Support from:

Abbey Piner –

Center for Environmental Farming Systems

Amy Marion –

Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project

Gini Knight –

Center for Environmental Farming Systems

Jamilla Hawkins –

NC Rural Center

Jared Cates –

Carolina Farm Stewardship Association

Llogan Walters –

Center for Environmental Farming Systems

Megan Bolejack –

Care Share Health Alliance

Shorlette Ammons

–

CORE. Center for Environmental Farming Systems

NC Food Council Network

www.communityfoodstrategies.org

Vision:

To build a resilient and equitable food and farming system across all counties in North Carolina

What do

food councils do?Assess the current food systemConnect stakeholders to align efforts

Educate leaders and the community

Recommend policy and program changes

ACTIONS

Connect

Educate

Assess

Recommend

Assess the current food system

Seven counties have created baseline community food assessments.Several counties have hosted

community input forums.

Chatham County

Pitt County

Durham

County

Several food councils are beginning to create inventories of local public policy and public investments in their local food systems.

Connect

stakeholders to align efforts

Char-Meck Food Policy Council partnered with their Health Dept. to host a ‘Fresh Look at School Food’ event in 2016 to bring together stakeholders

, teachers and parents to discuss farm to school efforts. This has led to ongoing collaboration.

Cabarrus Farm and Food Council worked to connect community stakeholders to bring together multiple partners, project ideas, and funding streams to garner greater support for a larger project: the Rotary Square Market in Concord.

Concord Rotary Square and Market

Educate leaders and the community

Four councils have hosted multiple Candidates Forums and McDowell Food Advisory Council is planning one for this year. Several councils have c

reat

ed

local farm

&

food director

ies with community partners.

Several councils host

monthly Documentary & Discussion events or Brown Bag lunches.

Food councils are actively meeting with local, state and federal elected officials to educate them on food system opportunities and challenges.

Brunswick County

Recommend change

Outer Banks Local Foods Council worked to pass a resolution for 10% local food purchasing. Durham Farm and Food Network worked to change the Unified Development Ordinance to allow for commercial crop production within city limits.

Asheville-Buncombe Food Policy Council worked to change policy with their Sustainability Office to create the Community Gardens Program and the Urban Agriculture Lease Program to both encourage community gardening and commercial crop production on city owned property.

Worked with City Council, Planning Dept, and Health Dept to change zoning to allow for mobile markets to operate in residential zoning.

Hosted Advocacy Trainings for partners and stakeholders around their identified food policy goals and priorities. Hosted Meet the Candidates events

Hosted U.S. Congresswoman Alma Adams End Hunger Roundtable

http://www.charlottefoodpolicy.org/

Worked with High Point City Council to fund a Community Garden Coordinator position through Guilford County Cooperative Extension.

Advocating with the city for free water hook ups and reduced water rates for community gardens. Working on policy solutions to prevent food waste out of cafeterias. https://www.ghpfa.org/

Advocated for the creation of a Food Systems Coordinator position in City/County government. Supporting local government in a community-grounded assessment process to help create the new position.

https://durhamfarmandfoodnetwork.wordpress.com/

CapitalAreaFoodNetwork.org

http://www.abfoodpolicy.org/

Working towards building an equitable and resilient food system for the health and economic welfare of our community.

https://www.davidsoncountyfood.com

https://www.catawbafarmandfood.org/

https://breadriot.org/

Hosted farm tour - working with their local tourism office

On-farm sales at each farm visitedLocal food lunch served at last farmHistory and current practices of the growers at eachSold out with 50+ attendeesCreated audio guide in farmer’s voice - can make this ongoing available to visitors/residents

McDowell County Farm to Table

Food and Health Hub:a facility that will house a commercial and teaching kitchen, a farmer wash and storage area, a pantry warehouse distribution site have been underway in McDowell County.

https://www.facebook.com/mcdowellfarmtotable/

From McDowell News, March 2017:

In September, 2017,, the N.C. Cooperative Extension for McDowell County received $40,000 in grant money that will be used to help start this community food and health hub. The money came from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) and Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust.The $20,000 grant from the CFWNC was awarded in September to the local office of the N.C. Cooperative Extension to determine the feasibility of a community food and health hub in McDowell. This money was matched with another $20,000 grant from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust’s Healthy Places Initiative.

Watauga Food Council

The Watauga Food Council helped secure bi-partisan, town-county support for Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture's new High Country Food Hub, which is a central storage facility for locally-grown food.http://www.wataugafoodcouncil.org/

jared@carolinafarmstewards.org

www.communityfoodstrategies.orgwww.carolinafarmstewards.org