NEWS:
White House Rural Council announces Local Foods Local Places initiative
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Today
thousands of people across the country joined us for the White House Rural
Council's conversation on Regional Food Economies via live-stream on DRA.gov, whitehouse.gov,
and at watch parties throughout the US -- one of which was hosted by East
Arkansas Planning and Development District in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Today, Chairman Masingill and our fellow federal partners joined Secretary
Vilsack to announce a new federal initiative, Local Foods Local Places,
to support rural communities in building strong local food systems, an
effort that will help to create jobs, increase nutrition, and grow local
economies. “As a region with a rich economic and cultural history centered
on agriculture, we recognize nutrition, local food systems, and value
chains as a critical driver towards our goals of creating a healthier workforce,
strengthening our local economies, and building sustainable
communities," said Chairman Masingill. "We are proud to be a
partner in this effort to grow capacity for food systems in the Delta
region and across the country."
Below is the press release for today’s announcement. For the official
announcement and further information regarding this program, click here. The
video recording of today's event will be posted on whitehouse.gov
in the coming days.
Contact: Wendy Wasserman, USDA
wendy.wasserman@ams.usda.gov
Obama Administration Announces
Additional Support to Help Communities Boost Local Food Economies
Updated Farm to School
Census Demonstrates Economic Impact of Local Food
WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, on behalf of the White House Rural
Council, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Local Food, Local Places,
a federal initiative that will provide direct technical support to rural
communities to help them build strong local food systems as part of their
community’s economic action plans. Under this effort, a team of
agricultural, transportation, environmental, and regional economic experts
will work directly with local communities to develop comprehensive
strategies that use local food systems to meet a variety of needs.
The announcement, made during the White House Rural Council’s first
live-streamed meeting, included Vilsack, U.S. Transportation Secretary
Anthony Foxx, Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Administrator Bob
Perciasepe, Appalachian Regional Commission Federal Co-Chairman Earl Gohl;
and Delta Regional Authority Federal Co-Chairman Chris Masingill.
“Buying locally is one of the best things a community can do to grow its
economy. Partnerships like Local Food, Local Places help rural
leaders develop strategies for promoting farm products grown by people
right in their own communities.” Said Secretary Vilsack. “The demand
for local food is growing rapidly nationwide, creating more opportunities
for American farmers and ranchers and growing the entire country’s rural
economy.”
“The Department of Transportation recognizes that freight is a concern
for rural regions, which is why though our Partnership for Sustainable
Communities and TIGER grant program we support freight movement in farm
communities,” said Secretary Foxx. “DOT is proud to take part in the Local
Food, Local Places initiative and to support community food enterprises
and make it easier for people to access those amenities with affordable,
multimodal transportation options.”
“As a region with a rich economic and cultural history centered on
agriculture, we recognize nutrition, local food systems, and value chains
as a critical driver towards our goals of creating a healthier workforce,
strengthening our local economies, and building sustainable communities. We
are proud to be a partner in this effort to grow capacity for food systems
in the Delta region and across the country,” Chairman Masingill said.
“EPA is excited to work with USDA, the Department of Transportation, the
Appalachian Regional Commission, and the Delta Regional Authority on the
new Local Foods Local Places program, which will help
communities—especially rural ones—focus development on main streets to
boost local economies, preserve rural lands, and give residents better
access to healthy food,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe.
“Across Appalachia, communities are discovering the valuable role that
vibrant local food systems can play in diversifying their economies,”
stated ARC Federal Co-Chairman Earl F. Gohl. “ Investments in local food
systems can pay big dividends in creating a stronger economy and a healthier
population, and the Local Food, Local Places initiative will help
rural Appalachian communities devise the strategies that energize local
economic development and create the jobs that go with it.”
During the White House Rural Council event, Secretary Vilsack also
announced updated results from the USDA Farm to School Census,
illustrating the indicating continued economic impact of local food
procurement around the country. According to the updated Farm to School
Census, U.S. school districts around the country purchased more than $386
million from local farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and food processors and
manufacturers during the 2011-2012 school year. More than half of participating
school districts report that they will buy even more local foods in future
school years, and an additional 13% have plans to implement local food
purchasing in the future. Results from the Farm to School Census
are available at the national, state, and school district level data and in
a visually rich and easy to navigate format. In keeping with the
Administration’s emphasis on transparency and access to data, all farm to
school data is available on www.data.gov
and on the Farm to School Census website.
These efforts are part of USDA's commitment to support local and
regional food systems. USDA's Know Your Farmer, Know
Your Food Initiative coordinates the Department's
policy, resources, and outreach efforts related to local and regional food
systems The Know Your Farmer, Know
Your Food Compass maps nearly 3,000 local and
regional food projects supported by USDA and eleven other federal agencies.
Secretary Vilsack has identified strengthening local food systems as one of
the four pillars of USDA's commitment to rural economic development, along
with production agriculture (including expanding export markets and
improving research), promoting conservation and outdoor recreation
opportunities, and growing the biobased economy.
About the White House Rural Council
To address challenges in Rural America, build on the Administration's
rural economic strategy, and improve the implementation of that strategy,
the President signed an Executive Order establishing the White House Rural
Council. The Council coordinates the Administration's efforts in rural
America by streamlining and improving the effectiveness of federal programs
serving rural America; engage stakeholders, including farmers, ranchers,
and local citizens, on issues and solutions in rural communities; and
promoting and coordinating private-sector partnerships. The work of the
White House Rural Council and USDA to bring investment to rural America is
an example of how the Administration is creating smart partnerships with the
private sector to better support Americans in all parts of the country.
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