FARMINGTON – Food—we need it, we like it, we want it. And more and more is grown locally!
Greater Franklin Food Council, started in 2017 with help from United Way and others, is on the job! It supports gardens in local elementary schools, connects our communities on food topics, promotes local food consumption, and a lot in between.
The next big project is surveying farmers in Franklin County to determine the strengths and the needs of farms in the area. Did you know there are more than 80 of them here? Amazing! They produce vegetables, meat, honey, maple syrup, milk, cheese, herbs, fruit, and more. Some are historical, cultural, some are about preservation and research.
What a wealth!
The Greater Franklin Food Council wants to know where farmers are finding success and where they’re facing challenges and are struggling.
Over the next two months, the GFFC will be conducting a survey in two parts. The first part is a short data collection survey to gain some baseline data about farms in the area. The second part involves farmer interviews with the survey coordinator and members of the GFFC steering committee. The Greater Franklin Food Council wants to learn what is working best, what isn’t working, and what kind of support would make a difference.
At the completion of the survey, the GFFC hopes to have a big picture of the two or three things that would make the biggest difference to successful farming in this county.
Funded by The Betterment Fund, the aim is to identify goals and project areas to strengthen farming in Greater Franklin County. If you are a farmer producing food in this county, please take Part 1 of the survey here.
For more information, check out our website, www.greaterfranklinfoodcouncil.org, contact survey coordinator Sue Davis, susandavis228@gmail.com or the GFFC steering committee chair Erica Emery, erica@rusticrootsfarm.org.
