Community-based food systems

What's at Stake in the 2012 Farm Bill?

The U.S. Farm Bill—arguably the nation’s largest and most influential food policy tool—is written by Congress every five years. It includes far-reaching programs for crop production, farmers, rural development, energy, conservation and international food aid—the largest portion going to food assistance programs.

Everyone at the Table: Local Foods and the Farm Bill

The local foods movement in the United States has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade, but still represents a small portion of the overall food system. How can local food systems continue to grow and remain sustainable?

Farmers markets and food support: An idea whose time has come

Some ideas just make sense. One such idea is enabling low-income members of our community to purchase fresh, locally grown foods at the farmers market.

Over a half million students statewide offered farm-fresh, local food last year

MINNEAPOLIS – Schools serving over 558,000 students—or more than 68 percent of the state’s K-12 student population—are now engaged in Farm to School according to a pair of surveys released today by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) and the Minnesota School Nutrition Association (MSNA).

Farm to School in Minnesota

About this survey

Grower Perspectives on Farm to School

About this survey

Casting a ballot for local food

Last November, Rep.

Building markets for Ag in the Middle

Farming is a tough way to make a living and no segment of the American farm community has been harder hit in recent decades than the farmers known as Ag in the Middle (AITM).  These are the producers of fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy and meat products that are too big to sell directly to consumers and too small to effectively compete with agri

Minnesota's Ag Commissioner: "It doesn’t get much better" than Farm to School

In his December Commissioner's Column, Minnesota's Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson touts the benefits the state sees from the strong and expanding Farm-to-School movement taking place thanks to organizations like IATP, the Minnesota School Nutrition Association, and of course state agen

Dishing up food and culture

The latest Food and Community Fellows Digest brings together different perspectives of the many and varied ways culture and food interact. In his introduction, Editor Mark Muller writes: