City Seed, in New Haven, CT interviewed farmers from the markets and conducted research on the impact of climate change on farmers, particularly on pricing, production, and supply….
For our Summer 2020 COVID Impact survey, the FMC team set a goal of 300 responses across all states, a goal which was met and then exceeded with a final count of 461 market organizations reporting in 50 states. The goal of 300 responses was made based on estimating the number of market organizations operating in the US as 3,000-4,000, estimating because the number of actual organizations is unknown. We focused our surveys on…
Market leaders are familiar with daily crisis control, but when the crisis is a global pandemic, the resilience and innovation of farmers market operators is vital. One way markets have adapted to COVID-19 has been by implementing drive-thru and curbside delivery and online purchasing methods….
In light of the urgent and dire financial situation facing restaurants due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic, this past week the James Beard Foundation conducted a survey to provide an immediate snapshot of the industry’s needs….
This article takes a look at the lessons learned from international movements for food sovereignty and how those lessons may be applied locally, during and after the COVID crisis. “In order to sustain the lessons learned during times of crisis, we must go beyond a resilient food system to create a sovereign one.”…
NC Farm to Early Care and Education, a Center for Environmental Farming Systems initiative, works with Sonflower Seeds Christian Preschool and Learning Center LLC and other early childhood facilities to purchase local food and provide children with experiential learning around local food. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sonflower Seeds, in Silk Hope, North Carolina, continued caring for children of paramedics, police and other essential workers. Thanks to years of partnership building with local farmers, the…
Open for Good is the James Beard Foundation’s campaign to help independent restaurants survive this crisis, rebuild better, and thrive for the long term. Open for Good programs provide critical resources to help independent restaurants build the capacity to come back stronger, more equitable, more sustainable, and more resilient….
As part of FINE's work on how COVID-19 is impacting institutional food systems, this blog highlights how the COVID-19 virus has profoundly disrupted food operations in prisons and jails. Mark McBrine, Food Service Manager at the Mountain View Correctional Facility, shares how the Maine Department of Corrections has adapted their protocols to protect against the virus while demonstrating the benefits of sourcing local quality food….
The dining landscape changed dramatically due to COVID-19. To-go containers, plexiglass, and safe distancing signs have replaced the once familiar scene of hot trays, buffet bars, and students in close comradery. And now, as colleges further revise plans to reopen, dining operations continue to adapt. In FINE's most recent blog, we discuss the changes in campus dining and what lays ahead as colleges continue to grapple with the coronavirus….
The coronavirus pandemic has shown how quickly our food supply chain can be interrupted. While farmers markets are often viewed as a privilege for the well-off, this pandemic has cemented markets as essential businesses that have an important role to play in increasing access to local, healthy food for everyone. Yet, not enough support, funding, and resources are currently directed to organizations and individuals that run markets….
No matter how you look at it, 2020 has been a challenging and uncertain year to be in the farmers market business. The impacts of COVID-19 were felt hard and fast by farmers markets in the initial phase of the response to the virus. Farmers market operators, State Associations, and the Farmers Market Coalition (FMC) threw themselves into the fight to keep farmers markets open as we all struggled to keep up with changing…
As farmers markets serve an essential role in local and community-based food systems, the Farmers Market Coalition acted quickly in the early stages of the pandemic to begin collecting and providing market leaders with the tools and resources they would need to operate safely and efficiently during this crisis….