The Food & Farming Program

informing, empowering & providing resources to producers & buyers; making connections between farmers, institutions, retailers & restaurants; and raising public awareness and support of local farms and eating local.

Our goals are to:

Increase the share of agricultural products consumed locally that are produced locally
Increase the number, diversity, prosperity and sustainability of local agricultural producers.

Education

We provide incentives and tools for consumers to support the art of feeding ourselves from a place and a community

What's FRESH! -- our "all things local food" monthly e-newsletter, read by over 1,100 people monthly. Click here to read past newsletters. Sign up for What's FRESH by clicking the box in the righthand tool bar, below.

Eat Local EVERY Week 21 weeks of restaurant special menus featuring local farm produce and products May through October.
Year round community events and tours raise awareness about the value of local agriculture and bring people together around good eats.
Food to Bank On Growing new successful farmers and feeding the hungry through business education and agricultural mentorship for beginning farmers, who are also paid to grow food for hunger relief agencies.

Connection

We create strong business to business trade relationships

Food & Farming Events and Tours such as annual trade meetings, summer chef/buyer farm tours, and workshops for small and medium food and agricultural or related businesses, as well as public tours.
Wholesale Directory connecting chefs and buyers with local producers looking for new market opportunities.
Resource library, other Resources for Local Producers, plus the Whatcom Farmers' list-serve all offer opportunities to share information and learn from others.

Marketing

We grow a sustainable, resilient food system

The Whatcom Food & Farm Finder - 30,000 copies of the region's comprehensive guide and map of local, delicious, healthy food is distributed to 200 locations regionally each year.

Collaboration and coordination - Farmers, food producers and community members serve on our advisory committees, or work on projects with the F&F team to help meet our program goals. Our collaborators include: the Bellingham Farmers' Market, Bellingham area Food Bank, Cascade Harvest Coalition, Community to Community, Community Food Co-op, Kulshan Community Land Trust, Puget Sound Food Network, Whatcom Farm Friends, WSU Extension, WSU Small Farms Team.
Communications and media about Buy Fresh, local food business and related food system issues or trends keep everyone in the local food loop!

Many thanks to our 2010 Program Sponsors who help ensure the Food & Farming Program continues