Over the past couple years, the Covid-19 pandemic has illuminated ongoing challenges in the Western U.P. local food system. Disruptions in the supply chain, unemployment, and school closures have left many community members vulnerable and struggling with food insecurity. However, the pandemic also highlighted opportunities to increase food access and build resiliency with dedicated local farms and food producers. Farm to School programs have the potential to bring meaningful change to our communities by increasing food security, nutritional assistance, and learning opportunities amongst school-aged children while simultaneously supporting the economic growth of local farmers. The Western U.P. Planning and Development Region (WUPPDR) has partnered with local farmers, regional school districts, and organizations including Taste the Local Difference, Michigan Technological University (MTU), Marquette County Conservation District, Michigan State University - Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center, Portage Health Foundation, Upper Peninsula Food Exchange, and Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities to establish Farm to School programs in the Western U.P. Each of these partners have made considerable progress in their efforts to develop a regional Farm to School project, facilitating connections and a variety of activities bringing fresh local produce to K-12 schools.
One of the activities started in the fall of 2021 when WUPPDR and Taste the Local Difference hired Western U.P. Local Food Coordinator, Madelina DiLisi. Madelina is a graduate student at MTU with experience and interest in U.P. food systems and public policy. The position utilizes her knowledge and expertise within the community to facilitate strong connections between farmers and schools. Additionally, graduate student Zachary Soloman was hired to assist Dr. Angie Carter, an environmental sociologist and Associate Professor at MTU, in various research components such as interviews, data collection, analysis, and a photovoice project. Not only do student positions enhance different aspects of the Farm to School project, but they also provide experience and job opportunities for MTU students looking to remain in the community beyond graduation.
Farm to School project activities over the past few months have focused on developing strong relationships with local food service directors and farmers through outreach, interviews, and webinars. The project kicked off on December 1st, 2021 with a meet and greet for local farmers, food service directors, and project partners to discuss project goals and activities. In January 2022, Groundworks hosted a webinar for food service directors about 10 Cents a Meal, a program that provides schools 10 cents for every dollar spent on local produce. This webinar connected food service directors with vital information about funding and technical assistance for the application process. The webinars were followed up with in-person outreach and interviews with schools conducted by the U.P. local food coordinators. Assisting with interviews is local food coordinator Alex Palzewicz. Alex has over a decade of experience in the food and hospitality industry alongside being an advocate for local food and Farm to School programs in the U.P. Her experience in local food systems has been helpful to identify barriers experienced by schools when purchasing locally grown produce. The goal of the interviews is to learn how to create a manageable and sustainable Farm to School program with input from food service directors.
To better understand barriers farmers encounter when selling to schools, interviews are being conducted by MTU Graduate Research Assistant, Zachary Soloman to gauge farmers' interest and identify key challenges such as scale, connections to schools, and food safety. Over ten farm safety visits were also conducted with the expertise of the Upper Peninsula’s On-Farm Produce Safety Technician Landen Tetil and Local Food Coordinator Madelina DiLisi to identify and minimize any potential food safety risks on farms. The identified risks will be mitigated with the help of a mini-grant that provides the committed farms food safety equipment. Currently, there are over 10 farms in Baraga County, Gogebic County, Houghton County, and Keweenaw County committed to selling to schools in the next two years.
The next steps for the project include a Farm to School directory for each school cafeteria, educational webinars, and a community photovoice project. The directory will highlight farms located in proximity to schools, farms’ contact information, specific products supplied, and information on produce seasonality to create an easier ordering process for food service directors. The photovoice project led by Dr. Angie Carter will encourage participants to share their knowledge and experience through photos and descriptions, creating viable research and a lasting creative reflection of the unique Farm to School experience in the Western U.P. In the future, the project will expand direct relationships between farmers and Western U.P. schools, increase school staff interest in Farm to School and create a model of a rural Farm to School program for similar communities. Additionally, it is desired to see improved infrastructure, distribution channels, and access to healthy local foods among students. Other potential impacts include an increase in agricultural sector jobs, long term relationships between farmers and schools, enhanced community food security, and adjustments to the work plans of Western U.P. health and food systems organizations to address the needs of the community identified in the project.
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