SARE program for farmers market managers and local food producers

The upper Clearwater River valley in north central Idaho is remote from centers of local vegetable production in the Lewis Clark Valley, the Palouse and eastern Washington. In addition, the topography of the area is not conducive to local food production due to short growing seasons on the ridges and limited space in the narrow, steep valley bottoms. However, some landowners are looking to help alleviate this deficit while at the same time creating economic opportunities for their land by raising food crops for local consumption. In addition, several small, community-oriented farmers markets exist in the area, but they struggle with maintaining and growing their markets. A SARE grant was used to host a local food systems workshop in Orofino, ID, for farmers market managers and growers in the upper Clearwater area. Two evaluations were conducted of the 21 participants, including one right after the program and one six months later. Both showed impressment gains in knowledge and improvements in their businesses.