Statewide Farm-to-Table Plan One Step Closer to Completion
CHARLOTTESVILLE—Suggestions for improving Virginia’s food system will receive final input Dec. 5 and 6 at the 2nd Virginia Food Security Summit.
At this year’s summit at Jefferson Scholars Foundation Hall and the University of Virginia Alumni Hall, farm, food, health and environmental advocates will help finalize the Virginia Farm to Table plan, a statewide strategic food security initiative.
"People have been talking for years about how the food systems in our state need some cohesiveness, and this summit is the culmination of years of discussions," said Chris Cook, director of the Virginia Foundation for Agriculture, Innovation & Rural Sustainability, one of the summit’s sponsors. "Farmers and consumers both should be pleased that a plan has been drafted and that there will soon be more interconnectivity in Virginia’s food systems."
The recommendations in the draft plan were compiled from farm-to-table forums, listening sessions, focus groups and online surveys sponsored by the Virginia Tech Farm to Table Team and the Virginia Food System Council. The council was created in 2007 to explore the development of a comprehensive local foods system. It consists of 24 organizations.
A final version of the plan will be released in January 2012 for the upcoming General Assembly session.
"We want to find the challenges, gaps and issues that face farmers and related organizations," said Eric Bendfeldt, Virginia Cooperative Extension community viability specialist and chairman of the Virginia Food System Council.
Earlier this year, farm-to-table forums were held to brainstorm about how to strengthen Virginia’s food systems, which include farmers, processors, distributors, consumers and communities.
"Virginians spend at least $15 billion annually on food purchases, but 85 to 90 percent of that food comes from outside Virginia so there is an economic opportunity for more locally-grown Virginia food products to be produced, processed, purchased and consumed than what’s currently occurring," Bendfeldt said. "A healthy, vibrant, resilient local and regional food system that builds and empowers local producers and contributes to the state’s economy through increased production, processing, distribution and consumption can help capture and retain more of the food dollars that are already circulating in the economy for economic recovery and growth."
Suggestions in the draft include providing incentive for school systems to buy local foods, protecting small growers through legislation, pointing out to communities that local food is affordable and ensuring that there is some sort of fresh food market in every community.
For more information on the summit, visit virginiafoodsummit.org.
Contact Bendfeldt at 540-432-6029, ext. 106.