LRFS
USDA-AMS Cooperative Agreement, May 2020 – September 2021 University of Kentucky, Colorado State University, Northeast Regional Center of Rural Development at Pennsylvania State University…
Topic: Communication & Community Engagement
Wallace Center at Winrock International
Impact report for the Vermont Everyone Eats Program…
The Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health and social distancing mandates caused unprecedented shifts and disruptions for local and regional food systems (LRFS). The pandemic also brought new and heightened attention to the structure and resiliency of US food systems, and LRFS appeared to be positioned to significantly increase the scope and scale of their market reach as a result. Researchers from three universities collaborated with…
Farmers Market Coalition
In 2020, FMC piloted an annual report to highlight farmers market adaptations and trends in the era of COVID-19. These types of reports can be used to demonstrate a market’s flexibility and highlight its successes stemming from market innovations or other changes implemented by an organization in response to COVID to funders and other stakeholders. This infographic-style report is modeled after the reporting design embedded in FMC’s Farmers Market Metrics software….
CSA Innovation Network
In this Ideas Lab Webinar, you will get to see a short video screening and facilitated discussion on CSA member retention. We'll use our collective learned experiences from the past year to share strategies to maintain long-time CSA membership….
CSA Innovation Network
In this webinar, Corinna Bench, Founder of MyDigitalFarmer.com and Tricia Phelps, CEO of Taste the Local Difference will guide you through best strategies to build an online presence, hook your audience, and help them sign up for your CSA….
CSA Innovation Network
This webinar focuses on how CSA farmers and farmer support organizations are producing new & engaging virtual experiences and learning a lot in the process. Come learn as we discuss the most successful, challenging, and innovative aspects of virtual CSA fairs, farmer field days, fundraising events and farmer-led CSA member events! Speakers include Katie Harvey, Elizabeth Corio, Briana Alfaro, and Lauren Rudersdorf….
Farmers Market Coalition
The first objective of this brief is to establish a more transparent and better understanding of the budgets of farmers market organizations. This document includes case studies with budgetary data from the Boulder County Farmers Markets (BCFM) in Colorado and the Pacific Coast Farmers Market Association (PCFMA) in the San Francisco Bay Area. The case studies are intended to help farmers market managers conceptualize the expenditures and revenue streams of markets with different organizational…
Farm To Institution New England and National Farm To School Network
Communities with existing farm to school initiatives and multi-agency collaboratives were able to quickly pivot to provide urgently needed food access while re-investing local, philanthropic, and federal dollars into a local food economy reeling from pandemic disruptions. It is precisely because of community-scale networks and ongoing partnerships (rather than large scale or consolidated efforts) that initiatives highlighted in this brief were able to provide hundreds of thousands of pounds of locally produced, fresh, and…
Farmers Market Coalition
Farmers Markets were compelled to alter their models in a variety of ways at the onset of the pandemic. They conformed to social distancing guidelines and other public safety requirements which allowed them to remain open and continue serving vendors and customers safely and effectively. Some changed to contactless drive-thru or curbside models, where customers pre-ordered products online or by phone and picked it up in their vehicle. Others opted for crowd control measures…
National Farm To School Network
Farm to school activities support local agriculture, while also providing nutrition and agriculture education. Special events, like Apple Crunch days, offer an opportunity for students to learn about local produce in a fun, engaging way with their friends and school communities. Typically, Apple Crunch events happen during the school day and involve field trips, taste tests, and biting into local apples. Since many schools are operating virtually, due to the pandemic, and meal programs…
Farmers Market Coalition
During 2020, FRESHFARM, an organization that manages farmers markets in the Washington, D.C., area, piloted a relatively low-cost device that counts the number of pings from mobile phones as they connect with a Wi-Fi network. This technology does not reveal any of the phone owner’s identifying information, nor does it collect data from phones. Instead, these counts provide a way for farmers market managers to estimate the number of visitors and their length of…
Proof Incubator
A 4-week virtual course for owners and operators of restaurants and foodservice businesses with a focus on stabilization and growth….
Farmers Market Coalition
During the pandemic, farmers markets across the country have had questions about how to ensure the health and safety of market vendors and customers by requiring the use of masks at markets. Having a mask policy can help markets mitigate public health risks. However, markets must respect the rights of individuals who are not able to wear a mask due to a disability. Markets can protect themselves from legal risks by assessing their ability…
Farm to Institution New England
This brief highlights how healthcare facilities implemented and expanded local food initiatives during the pandemic as a means to effectively feed and care for healthcare constituents while also investing in the local food economy. Specifically, by leveraging existing partnerships and value chains, healthcare organizations moved quickly to serve their stakeholders through onsite retail (e.g. grocery) locations and expanded community supported agriculture (CSA) or produce subscription programs while continuing to support local food producers whose…
