In September, Local Food Economies and the NC 10% Campaign organized three Innovations in Economic Development through Local Foods gatherings to showcase investments that local and regional governments can make to support small and mid-scale food and farming businesses.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2007’s and 2012 Censuses, the number of Orange County farms that sell straight to consumers has increased by 54 percent since 2007.
Local governments – especially planners, economic developers, and small business centers – are increasingly interested in how to nurture and expand agriculture and food access in their communities. Connecting them to the wealth of knowledge available from the CEFS partnership of NC State, NC A&T State University, and the N.C. Department of Agriculture brings together powerful tools for making a real impact on the lives of North Carolinians.
