What are your ideas for fostering a sustainable, regional food economy?
Local food enthusiasts and newcomers will meet at SciWorks in Winston-Salem tonight to brainstorm ways to encourage and develop local food economies that are based on sustainable agricultural practices in North Carolina. More than 100 people have RSVP'd.
The meeting is being held by the Center for Environmental Farming Systems and is the fifth one held this year after strong participation at meetings in Raleigh, Burgaw and Asheville. The meetings will culminate in a statewide conference in March, to be followed by the creation of a state action plan.
The center has made available the notes from the previous meetings, including questions and comments participants had about defining "local food" and what is needed to develop it.
Much work is already being done in the area of agriculture in North Carolina, with part of it being transitioning the state's tobacco farms to growing produce and fiber or raising meat. Just look at the recipients of 2008 Tobacco Trust Fund grants. These grants, announced in October, will help fund 24 projects in the state, including a project to grow organic hard winter wheat, a food processing center in Orange County that would serve 22 counties (including the Triad), and a statewide agritourism map.
The state's Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund also has awarded funds to Triad projects that will indirectly support local food economies. The Piedmont Land Conservancy received more than $500,000 to protect farmland from commercial and residential development in northeast Guilford County, Cimax and Liberty.
Alamance County also received $235,000 to go toward the purchase of 120 acres from Braeburn Farms. Find the county's farmland preservation plan here.
So it's only a matter of time before we start to see the visions of sustainable agriculture and local food economies become a reality (albeit with the expected tweaks and setbacks here and there). After all I've mentioned and left unmentioned, what else do you think is needed?
Due to recent automated spamming attacks on our blogs, we are temporarily requiring commenters to authenticate themselves via TypeKey® before posting comments to any News & Record blog in order to prevent denials of service. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.