The North Country Regional Foods Initiative is a project of the Cornell Cooperative Extension Associations of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties and the Economic Development Administration University Center at Cornell’s Community and Rural Development Institute (CaRDI).
Through this one-year grant of federal funding, this project aims to:
- Measure the economic and community impacts of local food initiatives in the North Country.
- Link Cooperative Extension, non-governmental organizations and farmer-based groups currently working on direct marketing approaches, and identify the strengths and barriers they face in their work.
- Share these impacts, strengths, and barriers with local government officials, economic developers and community leaders across the region to develop joint plans for expanding and enhancing local food efforts.
- Solicit training needs and offer educational opportunities to address them, along with the identified barriers to local food efforts.
- Explore possibilities for a regional network and funding to support it, so as to continue this work after the one year is over.
But, isn’t ‘local food’ just small potatoes? Can this really be considered economic development?
Supporting and expanding local markets can positively impact farm profitability and create local jobs through production, processing and retailing. While some local farmers might sell small potatoes, their potential is enormous. According to the 2007 Empire State Poll by the Cornell University Survey Research Institute showed, 78.5% of the New York State residents age 18 and older surveyed buy local foods and 37.4% said they go out of their way to buy local food. Tapping into this market can benefit farmers and consumers directly, but as well, a more localized food economy provides more choice in the marketplace, increases access to healthier and more diverse foods, maintains a working landscape, and reduces the vulnerability of a highly centralized food supply.
Why does a local food effort use a regional approach?
A coordinated approach to education and marketing strategies, that doesn’t stop at the county line, can be beneficial. It can prevent duplication of services, competing infrastructures, and gaps in organizational support. As well, many existing economic development initiatives focus on multi-county areas. The scale could be seen as a model for initiatives in other rural areas statewide or nationally, making it more appealing to funders. Most importantly transitional agricultural enterprises are most successful when a critical mass of farm entrepreneurs works together to make changes.
How do I learn more? Contact the North Country Regional Foods Team:
Regional Coordinator/ St. Lawrence County: Katherine Lang, (315) 379-9192, kaa20@cornell.edu
Clinton County: Amy Ivy, (518) 561-7450, adi2@cornell.edu
Essex County: Anita Deming, (518) 962-4810, ald6@cornell.edu
Franklin County: Bernadette Logozar, (518)483-7403, bel7@cornell.edu
Hamilton County: Nancy Welch, (518) 548-6191, naw5@cornell.edu
Jefferson County: Rosalind Cook, (315) 788-8450, rlc53@cornell.edu
Lewis County: Dolores DeSalvo, (315) 376-5270, dbd6@cornell.edu
CaRDI: Heidi Mouillesseaux-Kunzman, (607) 255-0417, hmm1@cornell.edu