Local and Regional Food Systems Response to COVID-19 Innovation Briefs
Oyster Trails
This innovation brief focuses on local and state-level Oyster Trails and the emergence of Pick-Your-Own and U-Pick opportunities at oyster farms during the pandemic. Pick-Your-Own and U-Pick farms have existed in the broader agricultural sector for decades. During the pandemic, this agritourism adaptation provides a new opportunity for outdoor recreation and a new revenue source.
Friedman Food Systems COVID-19 Connector
Another recently published innovation brief showcases how students helped organizations adapt. Students at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy launched the Friedman Food Systems COVID-19 Connector, a digital platform designed to connect food systems organizations with student volunteers who could help develop their project. Students created food safety guides, local food maps, data visualizations, data management platforms, blog posts, grant proposals, and newsletters, among other things, for 26 organizations in 13 U.S. states.
Emergency Food, Charity and the Local Food System Webinar
December 21 at 1:00 pm EST
Emergency food has become an increasingly vital part of local and regional food systems with changes in consumer spending habits, closures of schools, and financial hardships experienced by many households. New state and local policies along with private philanthropic dollars have created new opportunities to enhance producers’ market access while increasing access to local products at emergency food operations. This webinar will focus on the evolving relationship between food banks and other emergency and charitable food service providers and the local and regional food systems sector. The panelists will be:
- Mary Greene-Trottier – Spirit Lake Tribe, Director of the Food Distribution Program
- LaToya M. – Collective Fare, Director of Operations
- Leandra Forman – Food Chain, Operations Manager
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Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Request for Applications
The National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is making available an estimated $150 million for FY 2021 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Sustainable Agriculture Systems projects. NIFA seeks innovative applications that take a systems approach for projects focused on the themes in the USDA Science Blueprint: (1) sustainable agricultural intensification; (2) agricultural climate adaptation; (3) value-added innovation; and/or (4) food and nutrition translation. The request for applications is open until July 1, 2021.
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 Have you ever wondered what USDA resources are available to support local and regional foods? The USDA Programs in the Local Food Supply Chain chart makes these resources easy to find. The sheet highlights over 30 USDA grants, programs, and services in support of local food economies. No matter if you are a producer, processor, distributor, consumer, or state, tribal, or local government, USDA has a resource that can support your community’s efforts. Check it out to learn about the latest grants, research, education, and technical assistance. From the Agricultural Marketing Service to Rural Development, USDA is committed to supporting robust regional food economies.
AMS has partnered with Cornell Small Farms Program and Rooted, the Madison, WI-based center for urban agriculture enterprise and education, to collaborate and develop classes for commercial urban agriculturists, city planners, and policymakers.
The project, Realizing the Promise of Urban Agriculture, is informed by the Small Farms Program publication, The Promise of Urban Agriculture, a national study of commercial farming in urban areas released in 2019. Cornell and Rooted will revisit findings from the study to develop training to support urban agriculturists, city planners, and urban policymakers to successfully integrate commercial urban farming into city landscapes that promote racial equity and community. Over the next 18 months, the team will build and pilot training online and in-person.
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The Local Agricultural Marketing Program (LAMP), authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill, brought several existing USDA grant programs under one umbrella and created a new program, Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP). RFSP offers grants to support partnerships that connect public and private resources to plan and develop local or regional food systems. The program focuses on strengthening the viability and resilience of regional food economies through collaboration and coordination.
RFSP offers two project types, Planning and Design, and Implementation and Expansion. Planning and Design projects support partnerships in the early stages of convening, visioning, and planning processes for developing local or regional food systems. Implementation and Expansion projects support partnerships building on prior or ongoing efforts within a local or regional food system. RFSP is intended to fund partnership-level functions geared towards building capacity for decision making, coordination efforts, obtaining additional resources, and planning direction and needed activities.
In September 2020, USDA awarded 23 partnerships in 15 states.
- Awards totaling $2.5 million were made to 13 Planning and Design projects, including the Strong Farm and Food Future planning project, which will explore and build capacity for a regional food system in the Roanoke Valley of Southwest Virginia. The project’s goal is to collectively learn about and address the needs of sustainable farm development, local food distribution, equitable food access, and develop a comprehensive approach to create a more resilient, socially just, and economically viable food system in this underserved region.
- Awards totaling $6.8 million were made to 10 Implementation and Expansion projects, including First Nations Development Institute, which will work with Spirit Lake Nation and Standing Rock Tribe, federally recognized Indian tribes in North/South Dakota. Collectively, these entities will collaborate to build the organizational and programmatic capacity of Spirit Lake and Standing Rock, enhancing their abilities to reclaim control of their local food systems through building partnerships and community relationships.
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Faced with the challenge of using 50,000 bushels of apples from vintage trees, 80 to 130 years old, which would normally rot on the ground or be eaten by foraging animals, Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project (MORP) based in Colorado became interested in learning how to bring heirloom apples to new markets. To achieve their vision, MORP applied for and was awarded a Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) Planning Grant in 2016 for $42,400 through Mancos Valley Resources to conduct a feasibility study and create a business plan for mobile juice processing.
MORP conducted a needs assessment and feasibility study to gain a clear understanding of how to develop an apple juicing and cider business and developed a business plan. Organizing and training MORP volunteers and Americorps Team service crews addressed the challenges of harvest and labor while food safety practices were established to meet regulatory requirements.
As a result, MORP began operating an income-generating mobile juicing and hard cider unit using leased equipment:
- Income is now generated for thirty-five fruit growers.
- Each season produces approximately 2,200 gallons of raw Montezuma Valley Heritage Blend Apple Juice earning net seasonal income upwards of $3,700, which has been reinvested back into the project.
- Apples that would have been wasted have instead become a value-added product, helping to meet the local demand for juice made from Colorado apples.
- Juice is sold to cider makers, food hubs and other local enterprises helping to meet the demand of consumers across four counties as well as the region’s agritourists.
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