|
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 two months ago, and will continue by sharing World Relief Seattle's story.
Sustainable Renton is a food justice organization whose mission statement is to foster a healthier community and planet. The organization runs an organic community garden plot at Celebration Church in the East Renton Highlands Neighborhood and a farm stand at the Senior Center, which occurs on the last Friday of each month.
The farm stand uses a pay-as-you-can system, so no one is ever turned away from lack of funds. For many people in King County, the expense of living has become astronomically high, so the farm stand is designed to be accessible to everyone who comes by.
In addition, hosting the farm stand at a community activity center that senior citizens already frequent is the literal embodiment of the phrase, meeting people where they are. To visit a farm stand, dates and locations are on the Sustainable Renton website: https://sustainablerenton.org/2019-farm-stand-schedule/.
Continue reading Sustainable Renton's story and other urban agriculture stories here. Image of Sustainable Renton's farm stand, courtesy of Esmeralda Manjarrez.
|
Related indicators:
|
The local food system is comprised of a diverse array of stakeholders – small and medium sized farms, food entrepreneurs, farmers markets, small food distribution companies, food banks, and more – all of whom require right-sized infrastructure to produce, process, and distribute products and serve their customers.
Much of the existing regional food system infrastructure is either not accessible or not of the proper scale to meet the needs of small and medium farms and food businesses in our region. This includes a need for processing, packaging, dry and frozen storage, and transportation capacity, that if developed, could increase markets for locally produced products, increase access to fresh produce in underserved communities, and help to foster new relationships and opportunities among food system stakeholders.
Is it possible to develop a multi-functional and shared-use food facility that supports small farm and food businesses?
King County and partners have teamed up with ECONorthwest, an economic consulting firm, to answer this question.
The goal of the Food Hub Feasibility Study is to analyze the feasibility for a multi-purpose shared “Local Food Facility” that could provide cold and dry storage, food processing infrastructure, and serve as a distribution hub for small food and farm businesses and non-profit organizations working in the food access and food recovery sector.
Read more on DNRP's blog here.
|
Related indicators:
|
In November, American Farmland Trust (AFT) released the Washington state fact sheet summarizing results from its Non-Operating Landowners (NOLs) survey that surveyed individually or partnership-owned lands. This survey revealed that there is significant opportunity for increased conservation practices on rented land to improve soil quality.
Since farming on rented land is very common in King County, these results are particularly valuable for our farming community.
“AFT conducted this survey in 11 states to learn more about NOL and renter relationships, communication in those relationships, conservation attitudes and behaviors, and conservation and outreach needs,” said Courtney Naumann, AFT Pacific Northwest Agricultural Stewardship Program Manager. “These results will help us understand who we should reach out to engage in conversations around agricultural stewardship, and how we can best serve demographics who fall into a renter/owner role.”
Read more on DNRP's blog here.
Visit American Farmland Trust's website for more information.
|
Related indicator:
|
 Washington State Organic and Sustainable Farming Fund: provides financial assistance to support projects that will improve the economic viability, social impacts, or environmental sustainability of farm businesses. The goal of this grant program is to enhance the operations of farmers practicing responsible and progressive methods such as sustainable soil management, crop diversification, habitat preservation, climate change mitigation and environmentally-safe waste management practices. Applications are due by Friday, January 17, 2020. Visit this website for more information.
New Seasons Partner Fund: provides access to capital and business support to historically underserved businesses in the community who may have trouble qualifying for traditional bank loans. This fund prioritizes businesses owned by women, people of color, immigrants, LGBTQIA+ and social mission-based companies. Loans are awarded four times per year. Visit their website for more information.
FruitGuys Community Fund: provides grants of up to $5,000 to small American farms and agricultural nonprofits for sustainability projects that have large positive impacts on the environment, local food systems, and farm diversity. Projects to be considered should help small-scale farms operate more sustainably, both environmentally and economically, as well as strengthen community outreach. Grants are awarded in April. Visit their website for more information.
|
