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 –…
Audience: Local/State/Tribal/Federal Government
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…
USDA
The Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant Program provides grants to specialty crop producers and processors, other select producers, meat and other processors, distributors, and farmers markets to respond to coronavirus, including for measures to protect workers against novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID–19)….
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….
Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative
IFAI's dedicated resource page for Indian Country COVID19 Resources and Updates. Links to policy updates, webinars, and resource library included….
Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative
As Tribal nations, communities, and the remaining country respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced resources and program flexibilities supporting continued food access. These opportunities are available for reference here and may be updated as additional information becomes available. Updated as of 3/20/20…
Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative
Webinar updates from the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative on impacts of COVID19 to food and nutrition assistance programs, and some of the flexibilities and solutions offered by current COVID19 relief legislation….
Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative
Webinar update from the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative on Tribal food and agriculture programmatic opportunities and flexibilities amid COVID-19 related to business, conservation, and infrastructure….
Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative
The Native Farm Bill Coalition and the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative provided an update about current pandemic response legislation from Congress and what that means for food and nutrition provisions implementation in Indian Country in response to COVID-19….
Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative
The Native Farm Bill Coalition and the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative provided an update about current pandemic response legislation from Congress and what that means for food and nutrition provisions implementation in Indian Country in response to COVID-19….
Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative
Coronavirus Relief Fund Guidance to help Tribal governments and their legal counsel regarding the use of Coronavirus Relief Funding, a new educational resource with additional information and examples based on guidance and interpretations released by the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”)….
Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative
This Native Farm Bill Coalition publication outlines federal funding and infrastructure needs that could support Indian Country in building enhanced community food systems….
Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative
This fact sheet outlines the Native Farm Bill Coalition's key identified priorities in any future COVID-19 response legislation from Congress….