Farm City Market Basket (FCMB)

Farm City Market Basket (FCMB)

Summary

Will Allen of Milwaukee, WI was looking for a way to demonstrate the importance of a strong community food system. With the help of a 2001 SARE grant, Will was able to create Farm City Market Basket (FCMB). FCMB is a special marketing system that allows boxes of freshly grown produce and other agriculture goods to be delivered to community sites on a weekly basis. “It addresses the economic need for connecting rural agriculture producers to urban markets,” explained Allen.

The objectives of this project were to maintain the economic practice of small farm operations by giving them the opportunity to provide fresh produce in the inner city areas. This program also allowed those in the urban areas to be educated on the importance of the marketing and distribution of agriculture products.

“This grant from SARE helped develop an educational component to our FCMB Program and also supported communication between consumers and producers,” expressed Allen. This program allowed farmers in the North Central Region to work together in marketing their products and creating economies of scale that benefit both the rural producers and the urban consumers.

Will Allen owns a 100 acre farm in Oak Creek, WI where he is the co-director for the Growing Power Community Food Center, which is a training facility that develops community food systems.