The Power of Food: Local Food Supply Chain Development in Eastern Kentucky

“The Power of Food: Local Food Supply Chain Development in Eastern Kentucky” brings together the leading agricultural and food organizations, technical assistance providers, government and economic development agencies, and institutions in the Cumberland Valley, Kentucky River, and Big Sandy Area Development Districts of Eastern Kentucky to provide coordinated outreach and resource delivery to agricultural producers, food entrepreneurs, and agribusinesses in the region, helping those private businesses develop, scale up, and hire additional workers in an economically distressed area. The Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development, a 501(c)(3) independent nonprofit organization, will lead the project, but will work closely with leading partner, the Community Farm Alliance. The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and the Environment; the Kentucky Beef Network; the Kentucky Department of Agriculture; and the Kentucky Horticulture Council will also contribute significantly to the work of the project. Additionally, the project depends greatly on the support of local leaders, local school districts, local farmers, and many others engaged in the local food supply chain currently who want to see it be strengthened for the benefit of the region’s economy. Letters of support for the project are included from the Perry and Floyd County Judge Executives, the Perry and Letcher County School Districts, Will and Maggie Bowling of Old Homeplace Farm, and Todd Howard of HF Farms. The project will request $468,635 from the Economic Development Administration Economic Adjustment Assistance and $75,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission Area Development Program to implement a program of work from October 1, 2015 through April 30, 2018 to conduct outreach, coordinate resource delivery and provide business planning assistance to producers in the 21 counties in the three southeastern Area Development Districts in Eastern Kentucky. Additionally, the project will engage in close coordination with the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (ETA) proposal and the Small Business Administration (SBA) proposal to be submitted by the Commonwealth of Kentucky Workforce and Development Cabinet and the Big Sandy Area Development District, respectively. However, each agency funding proposal is sufficiently self-contained to be an independent program of work should other funding proposals not be successful in obtaining funding. “The Power of Food: Local Food Supply Chain Development in Eastern Kentucky” is the fulfillment of an existing regional strategic plan, the Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) agriculture, community and regional foods, and natural resources report, developed in 2013-2014 through the efforts of a working group that held listening sessions throughout the region, solicited recommendations, and compiled a report that summarizes key steps for economic development in this sector.