Building a case for local agricultural infrastructure

Building a case for local agricultural infrastructure

Summary

Farmers in Massachusetts have had tremendous success in selling product directly to consumers and wholesale accounts: farmstands are busy, community supported agriculture farms have waiting lists, and more and more restaurants and cafeterias source local product. As further evidence of this robust local market, the Commonwealth ranked seventh in the nation in total value of farmgate sales and first in average direct sales per farm (2002 Census of Agriculture). However, the ability of farmers to continue to grow and expand their direct sales to consumers and wholesale accounts is limited by a lack of local processing and storage infrastructure.

CISA has researched infrastructure gaps, including local dairy processing, meat processing, and ready-to-eat greens processing. Without these local processing and options, many farmers have been unable to take full advantage of the growing demand for local product.

With support from NESARE, CISA and our collaborators are researching and writing case-specific rationales to articulate the broader community benefits of individual infrastructure projects. In each case, these statements will help our partners access financing and gain public support for infrastructure projects, and will educate the general public about the complex needs of agriculture. To the extent possible, we are researching the impact of infrastructure investment on jobs, the local economy, and land use. Building on the specific findings of our existing projects, we will also create a general case for investment and support of local agricultural infrastructure that will support future development of infrastructure projects. Finally, CISA will draft a guide and tool kit to help other organizations and farmer groups initiate their own infrastructure feasibility projects.

These activities will raise awareness about the impacts of local agriculture infrastructure on community economic development and encourage consumers and funders to support the development of sound local agriculture processing.

Objectives/Performance Targets

1. 1.Research and write up case-specific rationales for investment to articulate the community benefits of individual projects, to help our partners access financing and to gain public support. At least one of these case studies will also include a valuation of the economic benefits including the likely impact of the proposed project on the region’s farm sales and income, agriculture-related jobs and employment, local economy and land base.
   2.Compile individual cases into a general case for investment and support of local agriculture infrastructure.
   3.Develop a guide and tool kit to help other organizations and farmer groups initiate their own infrastructure feasibility projects and assess the economic impact of new infrastructure. We hope that this guide will provide a methodological template that could be transferred to other infrastructure projects both in the region and across the country.

Accomplishments/Milestones

• Assembled project team to assess regional economic impact of investment in infrastructure;
  Initiated research for investment rationales;
  Began assembling components of guide and tool kit, including adding model cash flow template for small-scale slaughterhouses to our website;
  Participated in collaborative efforts to promote infrastructure development both locally and regionally;
  Provided assistance and tools to other organizations and regional efforts;
  Two local media stories about the importance of agricultural infrastructure (see uploaded files).

• “Rising Interest in Freezing Produce,” Greenfield Recorder, 1-13-10
• “Grants plant seeds for farms to grow: Would lead local farmers to process food,” Greenfield Recorder, 11-19-09

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

The most significant outcome of this project to date is the growth in active, collaborative working relationships and networks focused on agricultural infrastructure development in the Pioneer Valley. We have developed stronger relationships with several local organizations during the process of planning and initiating the research needed for this project. Most notable is the Pioneer Valley Grows network and its active Agricultural Infrastructure Financing Working Group. This group includes members from a variety of agricultural non-profits, including CISA and the New England Small Farm Institute, and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, the Franklin County CDC, the Western Massachusetts Enterprise Fund, and two foundations. The Working Group’s mission is to identify solutions for post-harvest agricultural infrastructure, and leverage financing options to strengthen local farm businesses and bring more local food to local markets. PVGrows is a collaborative effort with staff support funded by the two participating foundations and housed at CISA. The expertise brought by the diverse partners in this network strengthens the individual efforts of the partners, and means that PVGrows will be able to provide valuable support for fledging infrastructure projects in the region. The group is informed by CISA’s infrastructure research and the case development funded by SARE through this project.

Collaborators: