Agricultural Marketing Services announced two RFPs for The Farmers’ Market Promotion Program (FMPP) and the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP). LFPP offers grant funds with a 25% match to support the development and expansion of local and regional food business enterprises to increase domestic consumption of, and access to, locally and regionally produced agricultural products, and to develop new market opportunities for farm and ranch operations serving local markets.  More details can be found here:http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/LFPP

The Jamestown Post-Journal recently covered the work of Growing Food Connections’ partnership with Chautauqua County, NY, as a Community of Opportunity. The full article is posted below:

Jamestown Selected for Food Program

By Dennis Phillips, March 8, 2015

Jamestown has been included among a select group of communities nationwide to receive the designation of “Community of Opportunity.”

Eight communities – including Jamestown – across the country were recently selected to receive training and assistance in linking family farmers with local residents who lack access to healthy food. The Communities of Opportunity program is a part of the Growing Food Connections organization that helps local governments, planners, family farmers and consumers work together to strengthen their food systems.

During a three-year period, Growing Food Connections officials will help local governments create their own plans, policies, partnerships and make public investment to support family farmers and enhance food security. The Communities of Opportunity will also serve as models for other communities nationwide that face similar challenges.

Chautauqua County is the lead agency for the local initiative, with assistance from the Chautauqua County Health Network and the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation. Shelly Wells, Chautauqua County Health Network Creating Healthy Places project coordinator, said Jamestown is an ideal location for this program.

”We have the agriculture and, unfortunately, we have room to improve how people access food,” Wells said. ”The goal is to help communities that have the opportunity and the initiative to make changes to their food system to provide access to food and to support the agriculture behind the food.”

Chautauqua County’s rural population of 133,539 has a poverty rate of 18.8 percent, ranking it amongst the poorest counties in the state. The county has high rates of adult overweight/obesity at 62 percent, low daily consumption of fruits and vegetables at 25 percent, and 94 percent of school districts qualifying for free or reduced lunches.

Wells said the next step for the county is for County Executive Vince Horrigan to create a steering committee of local partners to work with the Growing Food Connections team. In April, Growing Food Connections officials will be traveling to Chautauqua County to tour the area. Wells said possible future benefits from the program include seeing policy changes to increase access to locally grown food for underprivileged community residents.

”This will be more advantageous for the farmers and the consumers,” she said.

Peter Lombardi, Jamestown Renaissance Corporation deputy director, said the county was selected because of the major presence of agriculture in Chautauqua County and the identified food deserts like the east side of Jamestown.

”We have the capacity to do something about it. The Chautauqua County Health Network in 2013 did a study with the University of Buffalo to help access for the east side of Jamestown,” he said. ”A lot of people are thinking about this problem in Jamestown, and we can use the technical support this program offers.”

Lombardi said there is no money from the program to support projects. However, he said being a part of the program can help with receiving grants to implement changes.

”It is a good thing that we are a Community of Opportunity. It will give us a leg up when requesting grants from the (U.S. Department of Agriculture),” he said. ”It is a good recognition. Chautauqua County has an interest in connecting local farmers with communities in need.”

The Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab at the University at Buffalo is the Growing Food Connections project lead agency. Samina Raja, University at Buffalo principal investigator and associate professor, said these Communities of Opportunity were selected from a competitive nationwide search and application process.

”The selected local governments will blaze a path for more than 30,000 local governments in the United States that have traditionally overlooked the problems and opportunities in their communities’ food systems,” she said.

The seven other Communities of Opportunity include Portland in Cumberland County, Maine; Albany in Dougherty County, Ga.; Las Cruces in Dona Ana County, N.M.; Omaha in Douglas County, Neb.; Deming in Luna County, N.M.; Columbus in Polk County, N.C.; and Kansas City in Wyandotte County, Kan.

Dougherty County, GA has been chosen as one of Growing Food Connection’s eight Communities of Opportunity.  UB’s Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab,  American Farmland Trust, Ohio State University, and Cultivating Healthy Places will be partnering with Dougherty County to provide training and assistance to link family farmers and local residents who lack access to healthy food.  This three year partnership will provide local leaders with tools, resources, and training to strengthen Dougherty’s food system.

Learn more about the partnership through Dougherty’s local media outlets.

GFC is a five-year, $3.96 million research initiative funded by award #2012-68004-19894, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Chautauqua County, NY has been selected as one of Growing Food Connection’s eight Communities of Opportunity.  As part of the three year partnership, they will receive training and assistance to link family farmers and local residents who lack access to healthy food.  This partnership will bring national expertise in food policy and planning to assist Chautauqua County’s local governments, planners, family farms, and consumers create a healthier and more sustainable food system.

Dr. Samina Raja, GFC Principle Investigator and Associate Professor at the University of Buffalo, says, “These COOs were selected from a competitive nationwide search and application process. The selected local governments will blaze a path for more than 30,000 local governments in the United States that have traditionally overlooked the problems and opportunities in their communities’ food systems.” 

See what local media outlets have to say about this landmark collaborative effort.

GFC is a five-year, $3.96 million research initiative funded by award #2012-68004-19894, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Buffalo Public Schools is one of 82 projects receiving support this year through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm to School Program, an effort to better connect school cafeterias and students with local farmers. The district received a $45,000 planning grant that will positively impact over 34,000 students in its schools.

Farm to School Planning Grants, according to the USDA, are intended for school districts just starting to incorporate farm to school program elements into their operations. With a goal of bringing healthy, local, and fresh food to schools in Buffalo, this initiative will:

• Connect schools, farms, and community partners to improve student nutrition through agriculture, health, and nutrition education; and
• Strengthen our economy by supporting local farmers and food producers.

The formal announcement be held on Monday, February 23, 2015 at Public School #32, the Bennett Park Montessori School, which is located at 342 Clinton St. in Buffalo. The announcement will take place in the school cafeteria, where a salad bar will be set up, from 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM. Elected officials and BPS leaders will address the students at 10:30 AM. Students and elected officials will go through the salad bar line and have an opportunity to eat together in the cafeteria.

On Tuesday, February 24, from 5:00 to 7:30PM, the general public is invited to get involved in the Farm to School initiative by attending a Public Info Session. The public info session will take place at PS #99 Stanley M. Makowski, Early Childhood Center, located at 1095 Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo. Students, parents, cafeteria managers, BPS Board Members, farmers, food processors, and all others are invited to attend. A light dinner will be provided, first-come, first-serve. Register online at http://bit.ly/1KoJiPe or get more information on the Buffalo Public Schools website at www.buffaloschools.org.

The Food Systems Planning and Communities Lab is excited that this initiative will bring healthy, local, and fresh foods to Buffalo schools, and wish to thank the Buffalo Public Schools and its partners, Cornell Cooperative Extensions of Erie County, Massachusetts Avenue Project, and the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus for their efforts to improve student nutrition and access to healthy food.

We’re looking for an advanced undergraduate student to assist with research in our lab.  Find out more here.

Dr. Samina Raja’s newly published paper, ‘Rust Belt Radicals’, was recently featured in the UB News Center.  The article features an interview with Dr. Raja discussing how Buffalo, one of the country’s most impoverished cities, became a leader in urban agriculture.  Through the work of many activists focusing on engaging policymakers and amending local laws, Buffalo has made extraordinary strides in the past decade.  Read the full article here and find out about seven ways to get food noticed in your city.

Food For All and the Network of Religious Communities are hosting the Faith and Hunger Conference on Thursday, November 6th at 5:30, at St. Gregory the Great Parish.  The presentation will focus on how the Roman Catholic, Ahmadiyya Muslim, and Jewish communities have responded to hunger in their communities.

Dr. Dennis Castillo from Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora, will be the keynote speaking on the Catholic Church’s response to hunger from a global and local perspective.  Dr. Nasir Khan will speak from the Ahmadiyya Muslim perspective.

There will be time allotted for questions.

Space is limited.  Those who wish to attend need to RSVP to Kelly Kowalski of the Network of Religious Communities at KellyAnnKK@aol.com or (716) 882-7705.

The event will be held in the Gathering Room of St. Gregory the Great Parish located at 200 St. Gregory Court, Williamsville, NY 14221.