BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE LOCAL FOOD ECONOMY

Today’s column features information provided by our Extension colleague, Dr. Nancy Creamer, director of N.C. State’s Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) in Goldsboro. Dr. Creamer has announced that over the next year, CEFS has been funded to reach out across the state and together with their partners ask: What will it take to build a sustainable local food economy in North Carolina?

From the mountains to the coast, various organizations are promoting and implementing exciting initiatives to support our state and communities through sustainable local agriculture. Examples include new farmer’s markets, local food policy councils, comprehensive county or region-based food initiatives, farm incubator programs, farm and/or garden youth education programs, health and nutrition projects focused on local sustainable foods, procurement initiatives by large retail and institutional buyers and schools, and much more.
Lincoln County has been very active in supporting local foods with our farmers markets, the Foothills Fresh regional program, and the purchase of local fruits by our school system.

If each North Carolinian spent 25 cents/day on local food (just 2.5 percent of the $3600.00 that we spend on average on food consumption per year), it would translate into millions for the state’s economy. That money circulates here in the state so it has a multiplier effect, rather than going to a corporate headquarters in another state.

Other benefits of a sustainable local food economy in North Carolina include economic development, job creation within farming and food sectors, preservation of open space, decreased use of fossil fuel and associated carbon emissions, preservation and protection of the natural environment, increased consumer access to fresh and nutritious foods, and greater food security for all North Carolinians.

Over the next year, CEFS and its partners will be gathering information from across food system sectors: conducting regional meetings, targeted issues discussions, interviews, and hosting a statewide summit on March 2 and 3, 2009.
The desired result is a Statewide Action Plan for Building the Local Food Economy with specific steps (short- and long-term) that policy makers, Universities, government agencies, environmental organizations, businesses, funding agencies, social activists, non-governmental organizations and citizens can take to make this happen.

The first three regional meetings, held in Raleigh, Burgaw, and Asheville, were very well attended. Because of the interest, three additional meetings have been added in the Charlotte area, Winston-Salem, and Greenville.

Following are details on the Charlotte area meeting:
Charlotte area: December 8, 2008. 1:30-4:30 at Cabarrus Arena and Event Center. The address is: 4751 Highway 49 North, Concord, NC 28025 and directions can be found at: http://www.cabarrusarena.com/pages/Direction.html.

For more information on this initiative, check out the CEFS website at www.cefs.ncsu.edu.

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