This directory of sector and stakeholder specific local and regional food system networks was created as part of the Local and Regional Food Systems Response to COVIS-19 Resilience Playbook. We recognize that each sub-sector of LRFS has its own distinct operations, challenges, and adaptations, and recognize the value offered by national and regional networks in supporting work across sectors and scales. This directory offers a list of networks who have participated in this project’s…
Audience: Academic/Researcher
The COVID-19 pandemic, and associated public health mandates, caused unprecedented shifts and disruptions for local and regional food systems (LRFS). Impacts on market channels, driven by significant shifts in consumer behavior, were some of the most visible impacts. For example, local food enterprises such as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) quickly filled localized gaps in food systems caused by global supply chain disruptions. In other sectors – such as restaurants and institutional food service –…
There is some initial evidence that some of the initially acute demand and values driven by Covid around food have edged back, at least a little. Emergency conditions that shuttered restaurants and mandated masking and social distance have lessened. Covid-related concerns have also become somewhat less acute….
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…
LRFS
“What would 2020 have looked like if a collaborative network of research, engagement, and outreach across local and regional food system stakeholders, university researchers, and USDA leadership had been in place?” This is the question the Local and Regional Food System (LRFS) Recovery and Resilience project asks as the team reflects upon and examines the lessons, impacts, and successes of the first phase of the LRFS Response to COVID-19 project and frames its future…
Wallace Center at Winrock International
Impact report for the Vermont Everyone Eats Program…
CHOICES Data Visualization Series Quarter 4 2021…
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….
NAFDMA Agritourism Association
Agritourism operators developed timed, ticketed entry systems to manage the flow of visitors. These systems were often mediated by online platforms. By restricting visitor capacity, farm operators could better allocate resources to create safe conditions for visitors….
Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative
Tribal nations collaborate through coordinating entities, such as the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) to develop policy-based innovations while supporting new programming and sharing best practices. Important areas of work during COVID-19 include targeted efforts to expand livestock processing facilities, coordinating the development of model food and agriculture codes for tribal nations, and reconfiguring food aid and distribution programs for elders and children….
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…
National Association Of State Departments Of Agriculture Foundation
State departments of agriculture are working with federal agencies, corporations, and nonprofits to purchase food surpluses from farmers to distribute at food banks. This brief explores the unique strategies and partnerships four state departments of agriculture have used to develop and administer these purchasing programs….
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…
