This growth is made attainable via our work as a part of the Georgia ACRE Collective: Advancing Agriculture, Neighborhood, Resilience & Fairness via Values-Based mostly Procurement, launched in 2022 with beneficiant help from the Rockefeller Basis. The work is powered by collaboration with fellow members of the ACRE Collective, The Frequent Market Southeast, Well being Care With out Hurt, The Conservation Fund’s Working Farms Fund, the Turner Environmental Legislation Clinic at Emory College, and the Alliance for a More healthy Technology.
Kayla Williams (they/them), Farmer Champion Senior Coordinator, highlights the importance of this initiative: “Nationally, school and college meals service applications make up an $18 billion business. Channeling a portion of this business into our native sustainable meals system in Georgia can have a big effect on our native financial system, setting, farmer fairness, and pupil well being. We’re excited to work with our companions to make this imaginative and prescient a actuality.”
Within the first growth 12 months, the ACRE Collective will begin buy verification and celebrations with a pilot group of faculties and universities. Representatives from Agnes Scott College, Emory College, and Georgia Tech have already supported in shaping this system’s construction. We’re on the brink of welcome the primary cohort of Farmer Champion universities in June 2024, with awardees featured within the present Farmer Champion on-line listing and celebrated in August 2024.
In regards to the Farmer Champion Program
Launched in 2019 with help from the USDA’s Agricultural Advertising Companies’ Native Meals Promotion Program, Georgia Organics’ Farmer Champion program verifies and celebrates members of the meals service neighborhood devoted to supporting native and natural agriculture in Georgia. Initially targeted on farm-to-table eating places, caterers, pop-up companies, and Early Care and Training facilities (ECEs), this system has grown to bridge the hole between meals service staff and native agricultural producers. “Native” for the Farmer Champion program consists of wherever throughout the state of Georgia or inside 100 miles of the Georgia border in any course.
In case your school or college is thinking about taking part within the Farmer Champion Awards, attain out to Kayla Williams at kayla@georgiaorganics.org.
