Presentation on ways each of us can improve access to fresh, locally grown food. By Kerin Gould, PhD, Program Coordinator for Alchemist Community Development Corporation.

1. Farm to Every Fork
How You Can Help: Improving
Access to Fresh, Local Food
Kerin Gould, PhD
Program Coordinator, Alchemist CDC

2. What does it take?
•Creative and concrete ideas
• resilience
•Redistribution
•Community-driven, not top-down,
• long term vision of sustainability
•Education

3. What does it Take?
•Creative and concrete ideas
• resilience
•Redistribution
•Community-driven, not top-down,
• long term vision of sustainability
•Education
•no stigma or judgment
(people need to eat)
•collaboration
•support for local farmers as
well as consumers in need.

4. Many ways to help
•Do you like individual or group activities?
•Do you like policy approaches or localized and
personal approaches?
•Find an approach that suits you and that you can
see yourself doing long term

5. Influence Local Policy
•Development: Urban encroachment vs farmland
and green space.
•Zoning: Urban brown spaces scan turn into
community gardens
•Procurement: schools and other public
institutions should adopt procurement policies to
purchase locally grown, fresh food. Ex: Farm to
school programs

6. Influence Local Policy
•City councils
•City planning entities
•School boards etc
Look into their food-related activities

7. Influence National Policy
•Check out the Farm Bill and
ask your representatives about
it

8. Sponsor
•Individually or collectively sponsor a
project
•Provide supplies or cover fees/
costs to help a others realize change

9. Sponsor
Examples:
•Sponsor a community garden so low
income gardeners can use the space for
free
•Sponsor a booth at a farmers market so
food stamp users can spend their
benefits on fresh, local food

10. Improve your shopping habits
Buy food in a way that supports local farms,
good practices, small businesses, and
quality nutrition
-Participate in or be a drop-off for a CSA
-Buy local – influence your stores!
-Shop seasonally
-Shop farmers markets

11. Improve your shopping habits
Buy food in a way that supports local farms,
good practices, small businesses, and quality
nutrition
•Less processed food – less additives, more
natural, get nutrients fresh and in original
package
•These foods also put more money into the
hands of farmers.
•More flavor, real flavor (not invented in a lab)

12. Volunteer!
•Food banks
•Gleaning
•Community gardens
•T
each related skills such as cooking, home
finances, gardening, food preserving/
canning…

13. Volunteer!
•Food banks
•Gleaning
•Community gardens
•T
each related skills such as cooking, home
finances, gardening, food preserving/
canning…

14. Volunteer!
Volunteer with Alchemist

15. Volunteer!
Volunteer with Alchemist
•satisfying to see people/families get/afford
great food
•share recipes
•help farmers sell more
•make both sides feel understood/
appreciated/?
•good for local economy