The ‘Strong Food and Farm Future’ Project aims to build equitable and resilient food systems in the region.
The Roanoke Foodshed Network (RFN) has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA AMS) to launch the “Strong Food and Farm Future” project. The RFN includes over 50 partners that are community groups, nonprofit organizations, farmers, food businesses, community members, higher education institutions, and government agencies. The RFN is working together on a collective vision to build equitable and resilient food and farm systems in the Roanoke region of Southwest Virginia, which includes Roanoke City, Salem City, and Roanoke, Botetourt, Bedford, Franklin, Floyd, Montgomery, and Craig counties.
This funding will launch a unified marketing and storytelling campaign including a Regional Food and Farming Website, the Roanoke Region Food and Farm Trail, and multimedia content, narrative articles, podcasts, and a documentary-short. This marketing campaign will bring together partners from across the region, including Live Work Eat Grow (Montgomery), SustainFloyd (Floyd), and Land and Table (Lynchburg region). According to Jackie Crenshaw, Board President of SustainFloyd, “SustainFloyd is very grateful for this grant funding to continue development of a resilient local food system in Floyd County. The grant will help us expand our fledgling Floyd Farm Trail, an innovative and engaging platform to bridge the gap between our hardworking small-scale farmers and agritourism experiences for customers.”
This project will also support regional farmers. Virginia Association for Biological Farming (VABF), a leading RFN partner, will provide farmer education programs, farm tours, farmer
listening sessions, and a regional food and farm summit. According to Becki DeRusseau, VABF’s Operations Manager, “Being part of the RFN helps VABF better reach and support farmers in the Roanoke region. We are so excited to be a part of this project as it will bolster our programming and capacity to support farm viability in the Roanoke region.”
Central to this project is building food justice and abundance in our communities, which requires directly partnering with communities most impacted by the inequities present in our food system. According to One Valley’s Secretary, Gene Yagow, “This project will support One Valley’s goal of building an inclusive community in Northwest Roanoke through enhanced planning, advertising, program support, guest speakers and staffing of our monthly Community Conversations program.”
The USDA AMS is awarding $5.2 million to 10 partnerships across 10 states through the Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) Program. The RFSP supports partnerships that connect public and private resources to plan and develop local or regional food systems. The RFSP focuses on building and strengthening the viability and resilience of the local or regional food economy. To learn more about the RFSP grant program, visit https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/rfsp. To learn more about AMS’s investments in enhancing and strengthening agricultural systems, visit www.ams.usda.gov/grants.
This project will be implemented over a three-year period from December 2024 to September 2027. To stay connected on project updates and events, visit Roanokefoodshednetwork.org or contact Mo McGonagle at Mo@leapforlocalfood.org.
About the Roanoke Foodshed Network
The Roanoke Foodshed Network (RFN) was formed in 2020 as a way to build community and capacity between diverse partners working to address food systems change in the Roanoke region. The goals of this network have grown out of a decade of conversations with farmers, planners, and local food advocates. The RFN aspires to develop a comprehensive approach to creating a more equitable and resilient food and farming system that produces health and abundance in the Roanoke region. The Roanoke-based nonprofit Local Environmental Agriculture Project (LEAP) is a fiscal sponsor for the network. Other leading network partners include Carilion Clinic, Feeding Southwest Virginia, the Virginia Association for Biological Farming, and the Virginia Tech Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation.
About LEAP
Local Environmental Agriculture Project (LEAP) is a Roanoke-based 501c3 nonprofit. Founded in 2009, LEAP strives to nurture equitable food and farming systems that prioritize health and abundance. LEAP programs include two farmers markets, a mobile market, a farm share, a food hub, a retail store, a processing kitchen, three community gardens, and robust food access programs.. LEAP serves as a fiscal sponsor for Roanoke Foodshed Network and Virginia Fresh Match. Learn more about LEAP at leapforlocalfood.org.
