http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/33189-feeding-a-new-economy-local-food-systems-in-the-south
[videos, images, links in on-line article]
Feeding a New Economy: Local Food Systems in the South
Sunday, 11 October 2015 00:00
By Susanna Hegner, Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation | Video Series
The local foods movement has become much more than a short-lived dietary
or environmental trend. Can it actually fuel the new Southern economy?
The term "locavore" has become ubiquitous since appearing in the
American vernacular about ten years ago. It represents a rapidly growing
movement of people choosing locally produced food rather than packaged
goods that traveled hundreds of miles to market. Last year, the
local-food economy was valued at nearly $12 billion. According to the
Department of Agriculture, the number of farmers markets rose 76 percent
from 2008 to 2014. Direct-to-consumer food sales increased threefold
between 1992 and 2007, twice as fast as overall agricultural sales.
The USDA announced $35 million in grants to support local and regional
food systems. That includes $13.3 million to promote farmers markets and
community supported agriculture, as well as $11.9 million to promote
food hubs, aggregation centers, local processors and farm-to-institution
programs. The USDA is also awarding $8.1 million in grants to enhance
SNAP operations at farmers markets so low-income families can access
fresh, local food. The grants are aimed at boosting market opportunities
for small and mid-size producers, stimulating rural economies and
improving health. Organizations across the South have been putting that
theory into practice for years.
Local food systems are emerging as a promising piece of community
economic development and a key component of Appalachia's transition away
from extractive industries. The Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky
(FAKY) is one of the recipients of the USDA's Local Food Promotion
Program grants. FAKY will use the funds to assess the community food
system, conduct a feasibility study and design a business plan. The
Appalachia Funders Network's Food Systems Working Group is leading
philanthropic efforts to support the local foods movement.
Earlier this year, the West Virginia Community Development Hub helped
the WV Food and Farm Coalition and the WV Farmers Market Association
score major local-foods victories in their state legislature: SB 352
allows businesses to structure themselves as co-ops, and SB 304
streamlines the permitting process for farmers market vendors. "There's
a really vibrant local food economy growing in West Virginia," said WV
Hub Deputy Directory Stephanie Tyree.
Farther South, McIntosh SEED is helping shape a similar network in
coastal Georgia and beyond. "We have a lot of health conditions here in
our community - folks are not having access to local foods - so we
created a farmers market," said Executive Director John Littles. "We try
to open markets for small-scale farmers to be able to sell their produce
directly. We work with local restaurants. … And on a larger level, we
work with folks in Mississippi and Alabama in building value chains and
getting small-scale farmers certifications that they may need…whatever
it takes to get into the market, to sell institutionally so some of our
farmers are meeting demand with Walmart, with local school districts,
food chains, Sysco and Red Diamond. And it's changing their economic
conditions."
In the persistently poor Black Belt counties of Alabama, Mississippi and
Georgia, one of the ways the Southern Rural Black Women's Initiative
generates income for women is through an agricultural network that
connects farmers with markets. SRBWI also worked with municipal leaders
and community organizations to repurpose an abandoned school into a
USDA-certified commercial kitchen for its members. "We work with farmers
and trying to help women produce food that's marketed to the school
system and through farmers' markets and other outlets in the area,"
explained Cofounder Shirley Sherrod. "Many of them are widows who own
land and need to derive an income from that land. … We have a community
foods project and that's in 22 counties."
The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund helps
farmers widen their profit margins through credit unions and the
cooperative model. "We're talking about creating a form of wealth that
people own and control, that would help communities to stabilize. We're
talking about sustainable farming, sustainable communities," said former
Executive Director Ralph Paige. "Someone will come to us and say, 'I've
got three acres of land. Can I make a living off it?' You won't get
wealthy off it, but you can subsidize your income off it. You can grow
produce and sell it to a local farmers market. You can get three or four
other people to do it as a co-op, then you don't have to own a tractor,
per se. How do you use this kind of thing to make a difference for
yourself in your life and livelihood for your family?"
Littles says the renewed focus local foods revitalizes communities and
improves health while meeting the demands of a hungry nation. "People
need food. Where they get it, we can help shape that in this country."
McIntosh SEED Program Manager Cheryl Peterson describes how the success
of a single farm can transform a community:
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