The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) is honored to announce the appointment of Michelle Schroeder-Moreno as director of CEFS and W.K. Kellogg / Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation Endowed Distinguished Chair in Sustainable Community-Based Food Systems in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at North Carolina State University (NC State).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded a two year, $219,458 grant to North Carolina Extension/North Carolina State University and the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) to expand our online farm to school course into a Farm to School Collaborative Training Initiative (NCF2SCTI).
Continued appreciation for the people who grow our food, nurture our landscapes, and provide health to our communities is the inspiration for the new EmPOWERing Mountain Food Systems (EMFS) marketing campaign - #FriendyourFarmer.
The NCWorks Commission recently featured the Native American Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Apprenticeship as part of their Spotlight on Local Workforce Innovations series showcasing local innovations in collaborative, employer-led workforce development partnerships across the state.
Developed by the North Carolina Local Food Council (NCLFC), the Remote Internship to Support Enterprises (RISE) for Local Foods was developed to address challenges to food systems resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thirteen undergraduate students from across the country have been selected for the 2021 Agroecology Scholars Program in Research and Extension (ASPIRE) Internship Program.
The Small Farm Unit completed the spring season of vegetable direct seeding and transplanting to the certified organic plot, is growing summer vegetable transplants in the greenhouse, and preparing for fall production as well.
The Empowering Mountain Food Systems Apprenticeship Program matches paid Apprentices with regional food and farming Mentor Businesses along the local supply chain. We are currently accepting applications for Spring 2021 apprenticeship positions.
Many CEFS staff and faculty collaborated on a recent publication in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development: “A collaborative approach to COVID-19 response: The Center for Environmental Farming Systems community-based food system initiatives."
The Farm to Senior Services project will create and connect three county-based teams including Extension agents, food councils, farmers, intermediary food businesses (e.g. food hubs or aggregators), and senior meal service institutional buyers. The project team aims to improve institutional procurement policy, address procurement challenges of county-based institutions, provide resources and technical assistance for farmers, and support increased availability of local foods for older adults in North Carolina.
