Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation

Today is the last in our guest series with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and their partners on strengthening our regional food system. As you will read today, the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) is working creatively to connect young farmers with available land. How are they doing it? Read on:

By Marilyn Anthony, Southeast Pennsylvania Director
Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture

For twenty years, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) has been working with farmers and consumers to transform our food system. We offer technical and business training to farmers, foster farmers’ markets and CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture), and connect consumers to a wealth of local food resources through Buy Fresh Buy Local activities. PASA’s focus is on the supply side of providing wholesome food for everyone.

Today PASA’s nearly 6000 members embody the transformative, positive impact of sustainable agriculture on the environment, local economies, and individuals’ health and wellness. It’s this potential for such meaningful work that beckons beginning farmers. And since the average age of an American farmer hovers around 57 (pdf), we all urgently need to cultivate a new generation of regional food providers.

PASA’s newest initiative, a land leasing program, tackles the main obstacle facing these aspiring farmers: lack of access to farm land. For generations, young people became farmers by being born into or marrying into a farm family. As the number of farms has decreased, as land costs have escalated, and as more young people grow up in urban or suburban settings, young people are shut out of farming.

The solution for aspiring farmers is to lease rather than purchase land. PASA’s land lease program, best described as a blend of “eBay and eHarmony,” will “match” new farmers with landholders of all sorts: land trusts, corporations and institutions with large campus settings, schools and universities, and private landholders. Parcels of land may be as small as ¼ acre or encompass hundreds of acres.

Tomatoes from Turning Roots Farm

To gauge the potential economic impact of putting new farmers on leased land, consider these fast facts:

- Pennsylvania has more than 425,000 acres of preserved farmland

- An intensively planted sustainable farm can produce 7,000 pounds of fresh vegetables in one season on a single acre

- Direct marketing of vegetables can generate revenues of $8,000-18,000 per acre

Working with MBA students from Temple University’s Fox School of Business, and funded by a Food System Implementation Grant from DVRPC, PASA is completing the design of a web-based leasing program to link landowners with aspiring farmers. In addition to matching services, PASA will provide access to lenders and investors, assistance with business planning and leases, resources for pro bono legal advice, and a strong set of environmental guidelines using the Food Alliance criteria for Sustainable Certification.

April marks the start-up of our first farm project at a remarkable location that augurs well for the success of the land leasing program.

Lundale Farm is an historic property in Chester County, Pennsylvania, owned by Samuel and Eleanor Morris since 1946. In the late 1980s, then-Pennsylvania Assemblyman Sam Morris was the primary sponsor of the House version of legislation that established a program to preserve farmland through the public purchase of development rights.

To honor their parent’s commitment to organic agriculture, the Morris’ children formed a nonprofit with the goal of blending for-profit farm enterprises with new farmer educational programming. Its mission statement explains that, “Lundale Farm envisions itself as a leader in demonstrating that mutually sustaining, diverse agricultural enterprises can be economically successful by fulfilling people’s desire for high quality, locally grown organic food. By doing so, Lundale Farm hopes to inspire other landowners in developing suburbs and exurbs to adopt intensive farming practices on their own land, especially land which is already under conservation easement. Furthermore, Lundale Farm will promote active agricultural use of land under easement to not-for-profit organizations holding those easements. Finally, Lundale Farm’s vision also includes a commitment to inspiring new farmers and providing education and training in sustainable agricultural models.”

Chris and TJ Costa of Turning Roots Farm

Lundale is the ideal spot for our first venture, and Chris & TJ Costa from Turning Roots Farm are the perfect trail-blazing farmers for this project. In many ways the Costas reflect the background, educational level, commitment and vision of many new and beginning farmers. Neither Chris nor TJ grew up on a farm, but through environmental concerns and experience with Outward Bound, they each formed a deep connection with land and its power to nurture through food.

Turning Roots was a small farm with a big mission. Through PASA, the Costas have the opportunity to expand their previous farming success by moving onto five acres of prime farmland with potential access to fifteen acres, more land than they could afford to buy. They are also closer to realizing their vision for Turning Roots by becoming part of a larger enterprise that shares the Costa’s commitment to organic food production, community engagement, social justice, and new farmer education.

Turning Roots at Lundale Farm is a seed planted this spring, nurtured by the resources of PASA’s land program, tended to by the skillful, caring farmers Chris and TJ, encouraged by the Lundale Foundation, and watched with great interest as dozens of other farmers and landowners enrolled in PASA’s land lease program. We expect great abundance from this seedling.

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Read the full series here:

Part 1: Working Together for a Stronger Food System
(Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission)

Part 2: Collaborating for Healthy Families
(Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger)

Part 3: A Food Co-op Does Much More Than Sell Food
(Weavers Way Co-op)

Part 4: The City of Locavore Love
(Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation)

Part 5: Eat Fresh Here: Farm to School Systems Change
(Fair Food)

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Special thanks to the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, particularly Alison Hastings, for curating this series for us. Thanks also to all of our guest bloggers:  Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, Weavers Way Co-op, Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, Fair Food and PASA. We are inspired by and grateful for their food systems work in our region, and we look forward to hearing and sharing more about their successes.

Images: courtesy of PASA and Turning Roots Farm

Hello and Happy Monday! We’re excited to bring you another installment of our guest blog series with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and their partners helping to strengthen our regional food system. Today’s post by Meryl Levitz, President and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, shows many more reasons why “foodwise, among the most progressive cities in the country right now is Philadelphia,” according to the New York Times’ Mark Bittman.

By Meryl Levitz, President & CEO
Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation

Residents and visitors alike agree that the food produced in Greater Philadelphia is authentic, delicious and part of our cultural heritage. It has been an important, ongoing theme of Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation’s marketing and a reason people visit the metropolitan area. We have always promoted Philadelphia as a “food lovers” kind of town, and local food has been a piece of the food story that we have long wanted to tell. And now we get to, thanks to grants from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) and the William Penn Foundation.

Launched in June 2010, Philly Homegrown™ is a tourism and education campaign created to position the Philadelphia region’s local food offerings as a key feature of our destination. Accompanied by the tagline Real Local Flavor, Philly Homegrown™ is all about promoting the people, places and flavors of Philadelphia’s 100-mile foodshed—from Amish Country to the Atlantic Ocean. More specifically, the campaign’s goals are:

• to inspire consumers to shop from within the 100-mile foodshed;

• to enhance Philadelphia’s image as a premier food destination among media and consumers;

• to broaden the market for local food and support the local economy; and

• to amplify the work of the existing and growing local food movement of Greater Philadelphia.

Philly Homegrown™ includes numerous tactics and strategies to reach both visitors to Greater Philadelphia as well as residents of our region, including:

WEB:

We had to build a comprehensive, online resource for locavores so we created visitphilly.com/food, a new and constantly growing microsite that enables users to plan their local food experience from start to finish, find their nearest farmers market and restaurants that source locally, learn what’s in season, Meet the Makers of local products and get the latest news on Philly’s local food scene on the Homegrown Blog.

PUBLIC RELATIONS:

Our in-house PR team is building a library of content (press releases, photos and videos) to help showcase the Philly Homegrown™ story to local, regional and national media. The team conducts extensive media outreach to mainstream and multicultural media outlets and food shows that can feature Philadelphia chefs and foods and/or shoot episodes in the region. In addition, GPTMC hosts journalists on familiarization trips so they can experience first-hand what we are hoping they will write about.

MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS:

GPTMC initiated partnerships with local print, broadcast and radio stations, including CBS and Telemundo, to reach primarily local audiences with the Philly Homegrown™ message. Fronted by network personalities, anchors and local food stars, the stations produced customized vignettes and interviews with key food players airing across different media and on different topics related to local food.

COMMUNITY BUILDING:

Philly Homegrown™ relies heavily on members of the local food community—particularly when stakeholders lent their expertise to help mold the campaign during meetings designed to define what local food is in Greater Philadelphia and develop key messages for the project. Their faith in the project remains of the utmost importance. In order to grow the support base of the project and build awareness of the movement, GPTMC continues to partner with local organizations and events, including Fair Food’s The Brewer’s Plate; East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District’s Flavors of the Avenue; Reading Terminal Market’s Valentine to the Market, the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy’s Soil Kitchen project; the Food Trust’s Night Markets; Center City District’s Restaurant Week; University City Dining Days; and FEASTIVAL, benefiting the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe, to get the local food community invested in the program and act as unofficial ambassadors.

RESEARCH:

Philly Homegrown™ commissioned a study in April 2010 of 1,200 residents of the Philadelphia area. Administered by TNS Travel & Transport, the study served to define current consumer behavior and awareness of local food and help develop messaging for appropriate audiences. The key findings? There was a definite market for local food in the Philadelphia region, and most consumers recognize the benefits of eating locally and would like to do it more.

Philly Homegrown™ will conduct a follow-up survey at the conclusion of the campaign in order to measure the impact of the marketing efforts on consumer behavior, awareness and perception of local food.

One year into the project, Philly Homegrown™ has had a big impact in getting stakeholders talking and working together. Unexpected partnerships have sprung up, like one between local businesses Betty’s Speakeasy (who makes fudge) and Victory Brewing Company (guess what they make). The two got together to make a video where they made fudge from a Victory brew. The video was released online and spread virally, boosting business for both companies. We can only hope for more out of the box collaborations in the coming months, as they will only strengthen the community and extend the impact of the program.

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This series continues next Monday.  In case you missed them:

Part 1: Working Together for a Stronger Food System
(Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission)

Part 2: Collaborating for Healthy Families
(Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger)

Part 3: A Food Co-op Does Much More Than Sell Food
(Weavers Way Co-op)

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Images by R. Kennedy for Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation

This is the second installment of our guest series with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and their partners whose groundbreaking work is helping to strengthen our regional food system. Today we hear from Carey Morgan of the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger about a successful collaboration to get fresh produce to low income families.

Carey Morgan
Executive Director
Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger

As spring swings into gear, many of us eagerly anticipate warm weather, fresh air and the start of farmers’ market season. The sight of bountiful red strawberries sitting piled next to crisp green string beans is enough to make your mouth water. For many Philadelphians, however, fresh fruits and vegetables are beyond the reach of their budgets. In fact, in a city where 27 percent of residents live in poverty, many families do not know where their next meal is coming from.

Shearine McGhee

“There have been days where I’ve had to make sacrifices,” said Shearine McGhee, a 31-year-old mom who relies on the federal WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program to feed her family. “But as a mother, I’ll do whatever it takes to feed my children. I live and breathe for them. I make sure they never go without, even if I have to.”

Last year, Shearine and 25,000 other low-income mothers and children were able to buy more fresh produce, under a collaborative initiative coordinated by the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger. Through this project, eligible WIC participants received $80 in farmers’ market checks last summer—four times the amount historically allotted by the program. WIC families used the checks to buy fruits and vegetables at more than 30 farmers’ markets throughout Philadelphia.

During the farmers’ market season, the Coalition worked closely with project partners— The Food Trust, North Inc., and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health—to inform participants of the additional benefit through promotional materials at WIC offices and fun events like farmers’ market bus tours.

The result? Between June and December last year, families redeemed nearly 85 percent of those additional WIC farmers’ market checks. That’s equivalent to nearly $1.3 million in fruits and vegetables for families and additional dollars to the area’s farmers. By comparison, when WIC participants received only $20 in farmers’ market checks in previous years, redemption rates averaged around 50 percent.

To fund the initiative, Pennsylvania tapped more than $1 million in federal stimulus funds available to states last year. Federal funds were matched by more than a quarter-million dollars from other funders, including the William Penn Foundation, DVRPC’s Local Food Economy Initiative, the Claneil Foundation, Iovine’s Produce, Philadelphia Foundation, W.W. Smith Charitable Foundation and the Connelly Foundation.

The success of the project exemplifies what can be accomplished when nonprofits, funders and government agencies think creatively about collaboration for the betterment of the community. Everyone wins. The farmers had a great season. And moms and kids in Philadelphia were connected with the nutritious food they need for active and healthy lives.

“It makes me feel good to be able to buy fruits and vegetables for my girls,” Shearine said. “I want my girls to be healthy and have a good start. I really hope the program can continue, so it can help more moms who want the same for their kids.”

If you missed it, part one of this series is here.

This series continues next Monday.

Images courtesy Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger

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