Audience: Policy & Program Specialist

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

Farm to School in Iowa was first legislated in 2007, when lawmakers established a program to one, link elementary, secondary, public and non-public schools with Iowa farmers; two, provide schools with fresh and minimally processed Iowa-grown food for inclusion in school meals and snacks; and three, encourage children to develop healthy eating habits and provide them with hands on learning activities. Realizing the need for the early childcare sector to receive the same support…
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 –…
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….

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….

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…

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…
Scroll to Top