Congratulations to the Recent Graduates of Our Registered Agriculture Apprenticeships! We're celebrating the hard work and dedication of recent graduates from CEFS’ Registered Agricultural Apprenticeships and we are also welcoming new applicants for the 2026 growing season! CEFS apprenticeship graduates worked on farms for two seasons, helping sustainably grow food for their communities. [...]
EmPOWERing Mountain Food Systems (EMFS), an initiative of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS), works to strengthen the local food system across 12 Western North Carolina counties and the Qualla Boundary of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The arrival of Hurricane Helene underscored the importance of this work. Severe disruptions to farms, local [...]
We are pleased to announce the recipients of our 2023-2024 North Carolina State University Graduate Student Fellowships. Read about the Fellows and their research.
For the past ten years, Wake County Partnership for Children (WCPC) has been a dedicated leader in connecting local food and nutrition education through its impactful Farm to Early Care and Education (Farm to ECE) initiative. Since launching the program a decade ago, WCPC has worked tirelessly to build a stronger, healthier foundation for [...]
Earlier this month, representatives from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, along with partners working in early childhood education (ECE), community gardening, and local food systems in Detroit, Michigan, visited North Carolina to learn more about successful Farm to ECE initiatives that integrate local food purchasing. Organized by Shironda Brown and Dr. Dara Bloom of the [...]
In celebration of Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Committee on Racial Equity in the Food System (CORE) Apprentice and Artist, Isabel Lu, shares her interdisciplinary journey in creating collaborative spaces with community – through food, art, and identity.
NC Choices held a "Next Level Marketing Strategies for Local, Niche Meat Businesses" training at the N.C. A&T Small Farm Pavilion on April 4, 2023. The workshop sold-out with 150 attendees interested in taking their local meat marketing and sales to the next level. The first half of the day set the stage for an [...]
As one of the nation’s most important centers for research in sustainable agriculture, CEFS’ doors are always open to visitors. After a long break due to COVID, our Field Research, Education, and Outreach Facility located at Cherry Research Farm in Goldsboro, N.C. welcomed our first international visitors. A Brazilian delegation from the International Visitor Leadership [...]
Farewell from Project Director, Laura Lauffer What a wonderful ride to reflect on! As we close out the EmPOWERing Mountain Food Systems (EMFS) project, we want to share some highlights and gratitude from our work since 2018: - We distributed over $300,000 in farmer grants, loan matches, and scholarships. - This funding leveraged over $2,000,000 [...]
The 2023 theme for #BlackHistoryMonth, set by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), is Black Resistance. CEFS wants to celebrate Black Resistance in connection to food and agriculture by sharing some key resources compiled by the Committee on Racial Equity in the Food System (CORE). These materials are [...]
