Statements
Mission
To build a local food network through education, resources and creating connections.
Background
Tennessee Local Food is a 501(c)(3) organization that works throughout the region to support local farmers by offering educational workshops on sustainable business and production practices while providing opportunities to connect with consumers. We educate our community about the value of a community-based food system and ways to access locally grown food, and connect various stakeholders from our food system-including producers, distributors, processors, restaurateurs, consumers, and policymakers-to strengthen our local food shed.
The organization started over a decade ago when, after farming organically for 40 years, an industrial chicken house moved in next door to organic farmer Jeff Poppen's farm.
Devastated as he was, he knew that the best way to fight back against this misfortune was to educate consumers and producers about sustainable, regenerative agriculture and the importance of organic, local food, so he founded the TN Local Food Summit.
Fast-forward to the present day-14 years later-TN Local Food has expanded to be more than just an annual summit and now works in larger regions with a broader focuse Tennessee. TN than just MiddlLocal Food now hosts many events throughout the year, including panel discussions, film screenings, and hands-on workshops on farms, and has recently raised $19,000 to help farmers devastated by storm damage.
Our focus is on creating high-impact events that support small farmers and educate consumers about the importance of building a resilient food economy for our region.
Needs
TN Local Food spent the first 10 years of its existence as a volunteer-run event. In the past two years, it has grown significantly with only two part-time hired staff members. The amount of momentum, need, and success the organization has had in facilitating the growth of the local food movement, influencing local policy, supporting farmers, and educating consumers is extraordinary. With additional funding to increase capacity, the organization could further support sustainability initiatives in agriculture and food systems.
Service Categories |
|
| Primary Category: | Food, Agriculture & Nutrition - Food Programs |
| Secondary Category: | Education - Educational Services |
| Tertiary Category: | Environment - Natural Resources Conservation & Protection |
Areas Served
We serve Middle Tennessee and are working to build relationships with organizations across the Southeast US in order to build a more robust and sustainable food system for our region.
| TN - Davidson |
