USC Canada has released a new video short describing “the story of food”. The video largely outlines the decline of biodiversity in mainstream/industrial agro-food production systems. It touches on the downside of genetically modified crops, the plight of the family farm, climate change and hunger/obesity. The short video ends by encouraging consumers to ‘buy local, organic and fair trade’ wherever they can, to support small scale organics and to think about where your food comes from and how it is produced. This succinct video outlines some important issues with an attractive delivery (more…)
Screenshot of www.localharvest.com local food listings website
As any farmer who has embarked on the journey of selling local food will tell you, marketing directly to consumers is about more than producing a healthy, tasty and desirable food product. It is also about making connections with those who are interested in eating such a product. There are many methods of building a network of customers. A few you might consider.
- Build your own website (www.wordpress.com is a free website building tool that you might check out)
- Attend conferences, events and workshops where you will interact with potential customers. Or better yet – give talks at them
- Knock on doors
- Put up posters (more…)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8uv5eSince our first meeting in October 2006, we have been working closely with the farmers and supporting partners of the Harvest Moon Society Local Food Initiative to develop a collective marketing group to bring locally produced food to the homes of Manitobans. It has been an intense, challenging and highly rewarding two and half years and we have accomplished a great deal. We began moving food from farm to fork in late 2008 and are tweaking and re-ordering our distribution, communication and transportation systems to meet both the needs of the farmers and eaters involved in this initiative. The launch of a website provides an important tool for communicating with the participants in this small scale food network. You can check it out at www.harvestmoonfood.ca. This summer should be an exciting one
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Treherne Times news article - Think local presentation in Swan Lake, MB
In February, I participated in a number of conferences and sessions. The first, on February 2nd in Swan Lake, was hostd by Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives and focused on the Harvest Moon Local Food Initiative and the process of starting a related project in your own locale (Poster). The next was in Winnipeg at the Growing Local, Getting Vocal conference on grassroots solutions to the global food crisis. I also participated as a facilitator in a workshop on Community-University research partnerships. I also had the pleasure of participating and presenting as the last speaker at the Direct Farm Markeing Conference in Brandon. Finally, I participated in the PrioNet conference in Edmonton, Alberta to discuss the need for research that contributes to a better of how farm families adapt to BSE. This research can generate knowledge, while at the same time facilitate real-world adaptation. (more…)
Earlier this week in Manitoba, the Harvest Moon Local Food Initiative launched a new website that will act as a portal between farmers and eaters, facilitating food transactions and information exchange between farm and fork. This exciting new tool will evolve with the organization and in the future will incorporate community building components that will further allow for the exchange of ideas and coordination of this “small scale, sustainable food system”.
The visually appealing main page of the website clearly directs viewers to the key areas of the website: a) Buy Harvest Moon Food; b) Meet your Farmer; c) Get Involved; d) Learn About Our Food
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