Current Projects
As we move into planning for 2008, our main efforts are focused on three key areas:
Sharing Food Down the Road
With a year under our belt, food system leaders in our region have much to learn from the process to date: What has worked well? What hasn’t? Where are the gaps in organization, knowledge and action? We are in the midst of assessing and evaluating our work to date so that food system developers here and abroad can learn from our process. A product of this work will be a “how to” guide which allows us to share the lessons we have learned with other local food system organizers in a document that is comprehensive and accessible.
Assessing the Effectiveness of the Eat from Kingston’s Countryside Logo
Check back in the future more information on the progress of this project.
Funding the Future
We are working on securing future funding to continue our work in building Kingston and countryside’s local food system. Our priorities:
- Moving the Kingston & Countryside Food Charter process forward. Engaging individuals, organizations and governments in creating and implementing the Charter.
- Building the momentum we have created through the establishment of a permanent Food Down the Road Community Council to help guide our work
- Increasing food production in our area, especially by assisting new farmers with training and land access
- Working on cooperative distribution models bringing farmers and food justice communities together
A National Farmers Union Local 316 initiative, Food Down the Road: Toward a Sustainable Local Food System for Kingston and Countryside relies on the generosity of many partners, supporters and volunteers. Food Down the Road is funded in part through contributions by the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario under the Agricultural Management Institute (AMI), an initiative of the federal-provincial-territorial Agricultural Policy Framework designed to position Canada’s agri-food sector as a world leader. The Agricultural Adaptation Council administers the AMI program on behalf of the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario.