|
The local food team shares articles, exclusive interviews, and project updates that tell the story of how we are building a stronger, more resilient local food system. To measure the success of local food programs, we have identified 10 indicators of success that measure how well we are doing in our efforts to create a stronger, more affordable food system. Each article is directly connected to one or more of our 10 indicators of success which are shown below and will also be shown in each article. Click on the indicator icons for more information about our initiative!
Did you know King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks has an Instagram page?
The Local Food Initiative will be sharing our stories on this page, so give us a follow if you're interested in hearing more about our work!
Urban agriculture is empowering communities across King County. Whether it’s reintroducing culturally significant foods in an area where they are scarce, or giving people access to land in order to learn a new skill, the impact is felt far and wide.
The Local Food Team began sharing the stories of a selection of Urban Farmers from the South County Urban Ag Network to highlight the benefits of urban agriculture last month, and will continue by sharing World Relief Seattle's story.
World Relief Seattle provides the Hillside Paradise Parking Plots Community Garden, a one-acre parking lot, for refugees, immigrants, and the local community to grow culturally appropriate food, build community, and connect with the land. Four members of the community garden are highlighted below, each with compelling stories for why urban agriculture is important to them.
Chandra and Gadul are two gardeners who grew up in farming family in Bhutan. Twenty years ago, they were forced to flee their home country. Through growing their own food, Chandra and Gadul are preserving critical ties to their Bhutanese identity and way of life. They mainly plant beans, potatoes, and mustard greens - staples of Nepali cuisine.
Unlike Chandra and Gadul, Nidhal didn't have experience growing her own food while living in Iraq but decided to learn how to garden because she wanted to provide organic, low-cost, healthy food for her family. Nidhal and her family have been able to experiment with growing a multitude of vegetable varietes, including ones they did not eat in Iraq.
For Ivan, tending to a garden helped him feel grounded for the first time after arriving last year in the US as a refugee escaping war in Ukraine. Ivan was born into a farmer’s family, and was managing a large bee farm in Ukraine before migrating to the US. After he arrived, he was connected with World Relief Seattle for support. Since then, Ivan has populated the garden with a variety of fruits and vegetables from his beloved home country.
Continue reading their stories here. Image of Nidhal, courtesy of Esmeralda Manjarrez.
|
Related indicators:
|
 Are you a consumer who cares about where your meat comes from? Do you know what King County and other agencies and organizations are doing to promote locally produced meats?
The WA Meat Up Leadership Summit created an alliance for further enhancing a strong local meat economy.
WA Meat Up is a diverse group of collaborators and entrepreneurs along every link of the niche meat supply chain who support strengthening the local meat economy in Washington State.
In late August, staff members from King County’s Agricultural Program, Washington State University (WSU), Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), and Salumi Artisan Cured Meats worked together to create the WA Meat Up Leadership Summit to provide a space for producers, processors and policy makers to facilitate conversations and create a dialogue about the local meat economy in King County.
The Local Food Team spoke with event volunteers Colleen Bowman, a Pike Place Market PDA Board member, and Laura Raymond, WSDA Regional Markets Program lead, about how and why the WA Meat Up Leadership Summit was created, and what this event means for local meat production in King County.
Read this story on DNRP's blog here.
Related indicators:
|
There are many ways you can continue to eat local during winter months, including:
- Shopping at year-round markets,
- Joining a winter CSA,
- Visiting U-Picks and farm stands,
- Knowing what's in season, and
- Eating at restaurants that source locally.
These options not only support local farmers and the local food economy, but also allow consumers to buy farm fresh local food year round in King County!
|
Early bird registration is now open for the Cascadia Grains Conference! Save $25 when you register before November 27th, 2019.
The 8th Cascadia Grains Conference will bring together 300 farmers, bakers, brewers, distillers, brokers, investors, policy-makers and others to strengthen the role of grains in the agricultural and food economy of the Pacific Northwest.
At the conference, farmers learn about grain production, connect with scale appropriate buyers, and learn strategies on increasing demands for cereals used for poultry and livestock feeds, artisan breads, brewing, and distilling. Processors and end-users get an inside look into grain production, quality, and brokering relationships to get the grain you want and need. Investors, brokers and local government officials get the scoop on rising investment and policy opportunities.
|
|
