NC Growing Together to Bring Local Food Supply Chain Together at N.C. A&T

February 18, 2016: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The annual meeting of the North Carolina Growing Together project is hosted this year by The Cooperative Extension Program at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. The program begins at noon, Wednesday, Feb. 24 at Coltrane Hall.

NC Growing Together is a five-year (2013-2017) USDA-funded project that works to bring more locally grown foods – produce, meat, dairy and seafood – into mainstream retail and food-service supply chains.

The project is led by the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, a partnership of N.C. A&T, North Carolina State University, and the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The project has more than 25 partners across the state, including Lowes Foods and N.C. Cooperative Extension.
“Hosting this meeting is another opportunity for Cooperative Extension at A&T to provide innovative leadership and collaboration on local foods, a priority issue for us as we serve our communities locally, statewide and beyond,” said Dr. Shirley Hymon-Parker, interim dean of the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at A&T.

Nearly 80 people are expected to attend the meeting, representing the entire local food supply chain from farmers and fishermen, to processors and distributors, to food hubs and food retailers, to Extension agents, non-profit partners, students and researchers. The goal of the meeting is to collaborate, network, celebrate successes, and brainstorm solutions to challenges in scaling up local foods for mainstream markets.

For more information about NC Growing Together, please visit www.ncgrowingtogether.org

The Center for Environmental Food Systems develops and promotes just and equitable food and farming systems that conserve natural resources, strengthen communities and provide economic opportunities in North Carolina and beyond. For more information, please visit cefsnc.org.

The Cooperative Extension Program at N.C. A&T helps people across the state lead better lives by finding solutions to their problems, delivering educational programs and technology that enrich the lives, land and economy of limited-resource individuals, families and communities. Visit us at www.ag.ncat.edu