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Columbus Local Food Fund

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Columbus Local Food Fund

Our mission is to develop and support a local food system that enhances human health, promotes environmental renewal, and improves our local economy.

In the first half of 2015, the Columbus Local Food Fund partnered with the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project and local food-industry stakeholders on a regional assessment that provided a broad look at the Chattahoochee Valley’s agriculture production, consumption and spending habits. This assessment uncovered some surprising data including:

* Farms in the 62 county region (100-mi. radius from Columbus) make up 1/5th of all farms in the states of Georgia and Alabama.
* From 2007 to 2012, our region experienced great losses in small farms (1 to 49 acres) and had a 4% loss in farmland.
* 25% of farm operators in the 100-mi. region are seventy or older.
* As of 2012, Georgia is the 2nd largest producer of snap beans. Yet, the closest snap bean processing facility is in Texas.
* Direct Sales of local food grew 44% from 2007 to 2012 from $2.89m-$4.18m
* The 100-mi. production region grows 25 different fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts that account for approximately half of the fresh produce and nuts most regularly consumed by residents living in Muscogee County and its bordering counties.
* Only $0.18 of every dollar spent on grocery store produce goes directly to the farmer (that number drops to about $0.03 per dollar for restaurant food sales). Soon after the distribution of the assessment report, Georgia Organics selected Columbus as a pilot city for the Georgia Food Oasis project, and it was officially launched at the W.C. Bradley Museum last October with over 50 participants representing farmers, restaurant owners, small business owners, policymakers, media and local food advocates. The Columbus Local Food Fund continues to partner with Georgia Organics to assess, collaborate and engage our community to improve our local food environment, providing community facilitation, micro grants and marketing support. By the end of the three-year Food Oasis project, we expect to:

* Increase the number of organic & sustainable farmers in rural and urban areas.
* Increase the number of children participating in farm-to-school programs.
* Increase the number of Columbus-area residents eating organically grown, local food. The Columbus Local Food Fund believes access to food - clean, affordable, nourishing and naturally flavorful food - is one of the cornerstones of a healthy and resilient community. What we eat matters. It matters to our bodies, our environment, our community, our economy and our culture. We hope you will continue to support our efforts as we help transition Columbus towards a healthy, diverse and abundant food landscape. The Columbus Local Food Fund is a pass-through (non-endowed) Designated Fund of the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley, Inc. The Fund was established at the Community Foundation to support the work of Columbus Local Food Fund. The chair of the Columbus Local Food Fund Steering Committee serves as the Fund’s Advisor. On behalf of the Steering Committee, the chair recommends grants from the Fund to the Board of the Community Foundation, which makes final decisions regarding the grants. While the Fund is owned and managed by the Community Foundation, its purpose is clearly to support the work of the Columbus Local Food Fund. The Community Foundation is certified by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity, and completed donations to any of its component Funds are tax deductible as allowed by law. In addition to cash gifts, the Community Foundation accepts gifts of publicly traded securities, tangible personal property, real estate and most types of planned gift vehicles. Contact the organization for further details or visit www.cfcv.com.

12/31/2020

Nature demands a gift for everything that it gives, so what we have to keep doing, is returning back to the soil, then we're continuously giving the gifts to nature, because we have a return cycle.

12/05/2020

Happy World Soil Day, Y'all!

11/18/2020

"Back in her hometown, she had learned to use all parts of the fruits and vegetables she prepared, and she couldn’t make peace with the wastefulness of the city. She knew that the thrown-away peels, seeds, and rinds held precious nutritional value. Tchelly has since worked to give a second life to food that would otherwise go to waste. She shows that repurposing food waste is not only a solution to the problem of access to healthy food, but also one remedy to help address a broken social system."

Chef Regina Tchelly repurposes food waste to provide access to healthy food and remedy a broken social system.

11/16/2020

Just imagine our regional health care system actually implementing a program like this for the patients, patients' families, doctors, admin, etc.?

Grady Health System’s main campus in Downtown now includes Jesse Hill Market, a public café where patients, employees, visitors, and community members can access healthy, affordable food. Located just outside the main entrance in the Butler Parking Deck, the market also houses the Food Prescripti...

11/11/2020

Calling all Veterans: You can use your GI Bill and Vocational Rehabilitation dollars towards this program - this NEW mission - to remain in service and help heal your internal wounds.

On this veterans day I want to unveil a project that has been years in the making. As a veteran when I think of our service, I think about the desire each one of us has to serve for a greater purpose than ourselves. When we get out of the military we can sometimes feel lost because that sense of purpose does not envelope is everyday.

My idea to turn Comfort Farms into an agro-culinary educational center has received its first phase of funding through a very Competitive Grant and I'm pleased to share that this January we will start the first classes. AG TECH TO SUCCESS is an Agricultural training Program that awards 17 credit hours upon completion that will give you real world training and experience in the field of small scale intensive agriculture and the Culinary world.

If your a vet near middle Georgia looking for a new career in the practical application of Ranching, Farming and Small Scale intensive agriculture... Sign up immediately with the link provided below. This course allows you to use your GI BILL and Vocational Rehabilitation dollars. In addition it's also open to non vets and allows for the use of the PELL Grant.

We created a wonderful Partnership with Central Georgia Technical College, Fort Valley University, Georgia College and the Vectr Center to bring this critical and timely training to central Georgia... Designed by Veteran Farmers for Veterans and Future Farmers who want to succeed in the agriculture and culinary industries.

We are also looking for corporate sponsors to assist with helping us reach our annual goals that involves scholarships, funding to build on site lodging and the development of a practical smart Farm to help the Disabled become enabled.

Thanks to everyone that continues to support this vision and mission. We could not do it without you.

Sign up today https://www.stagvetsinc.org/ag-tech-to-success

11/10/2020

Can we utilize the lessons of Detroit to optimize land stewardship (and ownership) in Columbus?

With commercial real estate at a premium and out-of-town speculators holding on to land in Detroit, Black farmers had to join together to secure land access.

11/10/2020

Beautiful local produce like this is grown regularly in and around Columbus, Georgia, but it will only be regularly consumed WITHIN our region once demand increases.

Check out this Opal Arugula grown by 🤩 Now imagine your favorite restaurant or caterer featuring this beauty in one of their upcoming specials or on their autumn menu 🤤 Let’s all support the tremendously talented farmers from our region and increase the demand for local food!

11/03/2020

If you have underutilized land, consider making it available for organic & regenerative farming. Share the abundance with our community.

We chat with Manu from Farm It Forward, a social enterprise that’s all about growing clean food in urban areas … while breaking down social isolation and bringing a community together.

11/02/2020

Helena Norberg-Hodge has been arguing for localism since the 1970s, but the pandemic is making the Australian activist-scholar’s ideas more relevant than ever.

10/23/2020

09/28/2020

09/17/2020

"When Natural and human interests impinge on each other and over-regulation disturbs our biological balance. important questions arise. Do we belong to nature or does nature belongs to us? A thought-provoking story in which documentary maker Marijn Poels explores the human urge to control our climate, security and preferably the other. Balancing on a razor-thin line between regulation and manipulation. When technology reigns supreme and common sense vaporizes through the test of time, humanity is on the brink of becoming the tool. Miles away from the collective panic, fear and chaos, there is hope, inspiration and reconnection."

Independent and multiple award-winning documentary maker Marijn Poels presents his latest documentary "Return To Eden". WATCH THE TRAILER: https://youtu.be/7...

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