Posts for the CEFS Agrophile Blog.
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.
We know that caregivers want to offer more fresh vegetables and fruits when it is feasible. We also know how challenging it can be to calculate how many pounds of vegetables or fruits to purchase for children in day care settings. It can also be difficult to know how much to serve participants of different age groups.
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.
The Small Farm Unit at the NCDA&CS Cherry Research Farm is collaborating with East Carolina University (ECU) to establish a vegetable-based clinic program in collaboration with Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro, NC.
In collaboration with the Children’s Environmental Health Branch in the Division of Public Health, NC Department of Health and Human Services, the NC Farm to Preschool Network has released “Serving Local Foods in North Carolina Child Care Centers – Guidance on Food Preparation and Gardening.”
On September 30, the NC Farm to Early Care and Education (Farm to ECE) Initiative hosted the third learning session of the NC Farm to ECE Collaborative virtually. Typically, the final learning session of each Collaborative offers participants a face-to-face opportunity to celebrate their successes, reconnect with other teams, and exchange new ideas. These learning [...]
CEFS Co-Director Dr. Liang and Seasonal Technician Salina Brown at the Small Farm Unit harvested and donated produce during the pandemic. Have you tried bitter melon, fuzzy melon, or water spinach? These and many other specialty crops can be grown well in North Carolina and bring farmers a great price per pound. [...]
