Working Landscapes

Programs: Food hub (which we formerly called the chopped produce initiative): through our food hub, we connect local farmers to new markets through a value-added processing, cold storage, marketing, and food safety expertise. In 2017, we connected five local farmers to seven school districts in our region, providing chopped collards, cabbage, sweet potatoes and kale to school cafeterias. These districts, in turn, provided this food to more than 70,000 school children. . We also used the food hub facilities to support area entrepreneurs in our shared-use kitchen, and provided expertise in food safety to help area farmers overcome certification hurdles in reaching wholesale markets.

food system development: we seek to build resilient and long-term supply chain connections that link small farmers to institutional/wholesale markets in our region. To advance this goal, we are working to understand and address the barriers to creating more robust linkages between small farmers and large, stable institutional markets, such as school districts. For example, we are working to develop new relationships and distribution routes that can more efficiently carry healthy, local produce to rural and underserved areas. Working landscapes conducts research, builds partnerships and develops supply chain connections in northeastern north carolina.

what's growing on: we accompany sales of local produce to schools with education about healthy, seasonal eating. Known as whats growing on, the program features a different fruit or vegetable each month, and supplies in-classroom and in-cafeteria programs with the goal of getting children to increase their knowledge and consumption of locally grown, healthy produce. We also utilize school gardens and promote hands-on learning in schools. In 2017, we conducted 30 cafeteria taste tests in fourteen regional schools. Through what's growing on, more than 3000 children in our region learned about healthy, local eating through a combination of cafeteria and in-classroom activities. This programming was implemented in collaboration with foodcorps, halifax county catch personnel, warren county cooperative extension and community volunteers.