Holt Library: Farm to School &amp; Farm to Fork: More resources

Additional resources

Community Food Strategies
Our team consists of food systems experts that provides leadership and technical support to communities interested in food council development across North Carolina. We offer a diverse skill set that includes robust community engagement, strategic planning, organizational development, systems thinking, dynamic facilitation experience, and community food systems strategy.

Led by the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS), this project’s partners include the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), Care Share Health Alliance, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA), Committee on Racial Equity in the Food System (CORE), and the NC Rural Center.
The Center for Environmental Farming Systems: Youth Programming
CEFS’ youth programming grows the next generation of food system leadership, providing training, networking, and career ladder opportunities to young leaders across the state.
Beginning Farmer Project (Center for Environmental Farming Systems)
NC Choices launches a new USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher grant focused on increasing the number of beginning farmers raising meat through either pasture-based or silvopasture systems by providing them with novel land acquisition strategies, resources, and training opportunities to increase skills, decision-making tools, and the market and buyer connections needed to operate profitably.

Notably, NC Choices will help pair beginning meat producers with grazing opportunities on

Solar installations
Land with woodland plots for silvopasture
Land conservancy land under conservation easements
This 3-year grant aims to provide comprehensive support including long-term lease and land tenure options, targeted training and decision making support, growing market opportunities, and training for beginning farmers and farmer-trainers.

Publications and Toolkits

Publications
Published journal articles, book chapters, and student research
Advocacy and Food Council establishment: Strategies
Community Food Strategies continue to collect what has been learned from multiple of years of food council development and put that information into user-friendly resources that food councils can use across the state. Several toolkits are linked below that we encourage food councils to use in their work. Each shares specific information about the North Carolina network.

Interactive materials

Climate Interactives: Food Systems
The planet is getting warmer. Rainfall patterns will become more problematic for farmers. At the same time that scientists tell us about these difficult climate problems, our farmers will need to increase production to feed a projected 2 billion more people in 2050 than we feed today.
Climate Scoreboard
UN Climate Pledge Analysis with interactive games and latest information on global climate

North Carolina Local Food Councils

Food Councils in NC
More than 35 food councils now exist across North Carolina covering 40 of the 100 counties. These food councils are mostly organized by county, and some are more regional.
Food Hubs and Food Councils
What is the relationship between a food hub and a food council? There is certainly debate around when food hubs are most useful and what they ultimately achieve.
NC State University: Food Systems Initiatives
CEFS’ Food System Initiatives work along the entire local food supply chain and with communities, consumers, and institutions to rebuild North Carolina’s local food system and make healthy, local food accessible to all.

Workshops and webinars

Webinars/workshops
Training through practical community-oriented courses, hands-on workshops, featuring localized content, expands community engagement capacity and enriches members’ strengths at analyzing food systems priorities and formulates effective strategies among the member network.
If you have a training or resource need, please let us know.
WNC Black growers virtual connection
The Asheville-Buncombe Food Policy Council (ABFPC) is excited to announce that we will be holding space for Black growers in Western North Carolina (WNC) on Thursday, October 15th, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM. This space is not intended to be a space to tackle yet another initiative but to simply cultivate space to foster deeper connections. Regardless of your growing scale or skillset, this space is for you. Even if you just have a deep interest in growing, this space is for you.

Area school wins award

Asheville City Schools Awarded "Outstanding" in 2019 Farm to School Awards
Eleven local education agencies received the first ever Farm to School of NC Awards from the Farm to School Coalition of North Carolina for work their efforts in expanding and enhancing farm to school in the state.