Mid-Atlantic Small Black Farmers Food Distribution Project

Mid-Atlantic Small Black Farmers Food Distribution Project

Summary

Four Maryland farmers, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Small Farms Coordinator, and 4 Philadelphia outreach professionals met at the UMES campus to discuss the viability of deploying a regional distribution network that would engage small local minority Maryland farmers with the inner city communities in providing produce using a buyers club purchasing model. This initiative will enhance the Philadelphia area’s poor urban communities’ awareness of the importance in supporting its local and regional produce growers in addition to understanding the importance of proactively managing their health through eating fresh foods. A separate discussion was also coordinated and held between the same Philadelphia outreach professionals, 1 Lancaster, PA area and 3 Delaware Valley small farm growers to provide small land plots for a cultivating project that will engage the Philadelphia regional minority city youth with learning the practical science of agriculture and its importance towards attaining a healthy way of life.

Objectives/Performance Targets

Performance targets in this project is to create an awareness and appreciation of the inter-dependency between the produce recipient communities and their contributing food growers; educate the youth of the recipient communities on the practical science of agriculture and food production; encourage minority farmers to create and utilize a distribution system which will foster the desire to compete in the American food market system.

Accomplishments/Milestones

– Spring 2009, contacted participating Maryland farmers through the UMES Small Farms Coordinator and obtained 2009 crops list from each farmer.
– June, July and August 2009, held a number of discussions with the UMES small farms coordinator to arrange a shipping point for the participating farmers to deliver their food for shipment to the Philadelphia region. Discussed delivery challenges that each farmer was faced with.
– Fall 2009, developed website project page to promote awareness and interest to participate in the black farmers produce distribution project.
– Fall 2009, contacted institutions, local corner stores and organizations in Philadelphia, PA and Wilmington, DE interested in providing produce to their neighborhoods.
– Met with farmers in November 2009 to review produce availability and review the distribution logistics for the remaining 2009 harvest.
– November and December 2009, researched and provided a pricing list for the Maryland farmers to work with as a point of negotiation.
– Fall 2009, contacted and held discussions with Philadelphia area small farmers and land owners interested in provisioning tracts of land to serve the inner city youth.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

Price negotiations were a major challenge with the participating Maryland farmers. Scheduling conflicts also developed as the 2009 harvest matured. The success of the distribution process and the timing for marketing and promoting the produce buyers club drive into the neighborhood recipient areas weighed heavily on the success of negotiating prices with the participating farmers. It became clear that the 2009 harvest year had become a “trial, error and discovery” period for this project and, therefore the 2010 harvest year would be more ideal to deliver this initiative by adhering to the lessons learned from the experiences in 2009.

Collaborators: