Eat Local Foods Coalition: Connecting Nutritionists and Farmers

Eat Local Foods Coalition: Connecting Nutritionists and Farmers

Summary

This project intended to help nutritionists understand the possibilities that come from helping local farmers to improve the quality and variety of nutrition information they provide to local consumers. 45 Nutritionists and educators, predominantly Extension nutritionists, participated in a full-day workshop in May 2005 entitled “Nutrition Education and Local Food Systems: Making the Connection.” The workshop featured presentations from Nutrition Educators, Extension Administrators, chefs, and farmers; and focused on strategies to increase the local foods message in these professionals’ work with their respective clienteles and strengthen relationships between these groups based on local foods.

Objectives/Performance Targets

1) Of the 46 Cooperative Extension nutrition staff, 23 will attend the proposed workshop and 15 will pass on information gleaned from the workshop to their clients, who, in turn, will integrate the information into their daily lives. This performance target addresses the issue of Northeast agriculture “providing healthful products to its customers.”

2) Of the 32 Cooperative Extension agricultural staff, at least 10 will attend the proposed workshop and 5 will pass ideas gleaned from the workshop to their farmer-clients, who, in turn, will improve their farming enterprises, by providing more nutrition information and recipes to consumers. This performance target addresses the issue of Northeast agriculture being conducted “by farmers hav[ing] a positive influence on their communities.”

Performance targets involved participation in the workshop of half of Maine’s Extension Nutrition Educators and a third of our Agriculture Extension Educators. We hoped that roughly half of the Workshop participants would then demonstrably incorporate the concepts and strategies discussed at the workshop into their work with consumers and farmers. While participation from those groups was in that range, the Workshop also attracted nutritionists and educators from NGOs and other government agencies and initiatives, such as Healthy Maine Partnerships and the Maine Nutrition Network.

Accomplishments/Milestones

The workshop “Nutrition Education and Local Food Systems: Making the Connection” was held on May 6, 2005 at the headquarters of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association in Unity, Maine. Speakers included:

• Dr. Jennifer Wilkins, Cornell University Nutrition Educator and Kellogg Food and Society Policy Fellow

• Dr. Lavon Bartel, Director, University of Maine Cooperative Extension

• Dr. Mario Teisl, University of Maine economist and food labeling expert

• Cheryl Wixson, chef and host of the Public Television series “What’s for Suppah?”

• Martha Putnam, Director, Farm Fresh Connection

• Richard Rudolph of Rippling Waters Farm, veteran direct marketer

The speakers and the audience of 50 Nutritionists, Nutrition Educators, and Agriculture Educators discussed from various standpoints their approach to strategies for strengthening relationships between local food producers, nutrition service providers, institutions, and consumers; improving nutrition education at farmers markets and other direct-to-consumer venues; and creating organizational partnerships and initiatives between nutrition educators and local food advocates.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

Evaluation of the outcomes from the May 2005 Nutrition Workshop is pending the completion of a follow-up survey of participants.

Collaborators: