Getting more local, fresh produce into communities
Although fresh fruits and vegetables are key to health, difficulties abound in obtaining local produce. Land-grant institutions across the country work in a number of ways to promote growing produce as well as marketing and buying it locally.
Here are a few examples of that work:
- In Georgia, the Fresh on DeK Mobile Farmers Market targets communities without access to a grocery store to provide low-cost fresh produce. In addition to serving 4,866 customers at 16 locations, the program continues educational outreach through weekly online classes, handouts about healthy living and more. Residents that participated in classes received discount vouchers they could redeem for produce purchases.
University of Georgia; project supported by county and Smith-Lever (3b&c) funds. See full statement. - In Georgia, the 2023 Backyard Agriculture Education Station program built a demonstration garden in a local park. This garden provided important yield data to help local residents weigh the cost-benefit of vegetable gardening at home. Garden produce harvests were donated weekly to the House of Hope North Georgia-Free Home, which serves 150 households per week.
University of Georgia; project supported by Smith-Lever (3b&c) and county funds. See full statement. - An Edible Garden Tour in Idaho has helped make gardening less intimidating in the unpredictable local growing conditions by experiencing successful gardens. Participation exceeded expectations, and outcomes included participants feeling more confident about starting a garden, planned improvements to current gardens, learning low-water gardening strategies and how to grow food all year long. An added bonus was raised awareness of Extension.
University of Idaho; project supported by state appropriations and county funds. See full statement. - Programs in Kansas aim to reduce health and wellness barriers present in some communities, including access to nutritious foods and physical activity opportunities. Tactics have included partnering with farmers markets and Master Gardener programs to bring gardening to correctional facilities; promoting “triple match” days at farmers markets and growing mobile food pantries.
Kansas State University; project supported by Smith-Lever (3b&c) funds. See full statement. - The Louisiana Farm to School Program teamed up with the LSU Department of Agricultural Economics to understand the impact of dollars kept in the economy when schools buy local produce, as well as the difficulties faced when attempting to buy local. Analysis indicated that for every dollar spent on local food purchases, an additional 26 to 48 cents of output can be generated in economic benefits. This study also reveals that the economic impact of institutionalized local purchases is worthwhile and further analyses could prove advantageous for Louisiana’s bottom line.
Louisiana State University AgCenter; project supported by non-profit grants and Smith-Lever (3b&c) funds. See full statement. - Master Gardener programming in New York includes Cornell Garden-Based Learning, where the garden is the foundation for integrated learning and discovery across disciplines. These programs help individuals and communities improve their access to fresh produce and develop the skills and knowledge needed to grow their own food.
Cornell University; project supported by Smith-Lever (3b&c) funds. See full statement. - Training in South Dakota helped agricultural producers better understand how to sell to school markets, which can increase student intake of fruits and vegetables, increase sales for local producers, increase meal participation at schools, reduce food waste and improve the local economy. The majority of attendees intended to contact their local schools following the training; 100% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed they continue to use the information they learned at the training.
South Dakota State University; project supported by Smith-Lever (3b&c) funds. See full statement.
