We are pleased to announce that over the next year, the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) has been funded to reach out across the state and together with our partners ask: What will it take to build a sustainable local food economy in North Carolina?
From the mountains to the coast, various organizations are promoting and implementing exciting initiatives to support our state and communities through sustainable local agriculture. Examples include new farmer's markets, local food policy councils, comprehensive county- or region-based food initiatives, farm incubator programs, farm and/or garden youth educational programs, health and nutrition projects focused on local sustainable foods, procurement initiatives by large retail and institutional buyers and schools, and much more.
If each North Carolinian spent $0.25/day on local food (just 2.5% of the $3,600 that we spend on average on food consumption per year), it would mean $792 million for the state's economy. That money circulates here in the state so has a multiplier effect, rather than going to a corporate headquarters in another state.
Other benefits of a sustainable local food economy in NC include economic development, job creation within farming and food sectors, preservation of open space, decreased use of fossil fuel and associated carbon emissions, preservation and protection of the natural environment, increased consumer access to fresh and nutritious foods, and greater food security for all North Carolinians.
Over the next year, CEFS and its partners will be gathering information from across food system sectors: conducting regional meetings, targeted issues discussions, interviews, and hosting a statewide summit on March 2 and 3, 2009. Our desired result is a Statewide Action Plan for Building the Local Food Economy with specific steps (short- and long-term) that policy makers, Universities, government agencies, environmental organizations, businesses, funding agencies, social activists, NGO s and citizens can take to make this happen.
A regional meeting is to be held in:
Asheville, NC: November 12, 1:30-4:30 pm at the NC Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way.
The purpose of the regional meetings is to bring together those engaged in all aspects of the food system, to collect information and ideas that will the building blocks of discussion at the summitt and eventually the core components of the State Action Plan. We want to identify specific regional and local sustainable food systems model that are working and also regional challenges that can be addressed through policies, programs, and funding. These regional meetings will be facilitated listening sessions and provide important input into this process, so broad participation is encouraged.
The State Action Plan will:
- describe key elements of our current food system and define key terms
- identify the diversity of people, businesses, and organizations involved in and impacted by NC's food system;
- highlight specific efforts and partnerships underway across our state and within different sectors of the food system to achieve greater "localness" in our food system; and
- identify opportunities for action, and propose priorities, both in the short- and long-term, that will enable us to make progress toward a shared goal.
CEFS website
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