This past winter, Feed Our Future (FOF) and the Cleveland Department of Public Health (CDPH) conducted Cleveland-grower listening sessions. The listening sessions were held to better understand Cleveland-growers’ lived perspectives and experiences on urban farming for farm to school. We used the insights gained from a short pre-event survey to inform our facilitated discussions. Then, during the in-person and virtual listening sessions, we received feedback on the opportunities and barriers that exist in urban farming for farm to school in Cleveland. The insights learned during this time together, informed strategic recommendations for urban growers that are interested in entering the farm to school supply chain.
The goal of the survey and listening sessions was to inform two strategic areas of work:
- The “Why” of Local Food
- Opportunities for Farm to School in Cleveland
The key take-aways from the survey and listening sessions include:
- There is a lack of transparency of the farm to school resources available to Cleveland growers.
- Technical assistance with the bidding process and grant writing is needed to support growers access to institutional markets.
- Develop structured program steps and milestones.
- Clarification with what is needed (certifications, product specifications, etc.) for the school supply chain.
- Clear and concise instruction on what schools are looking for to build a relationship with a producer.
Our recommendations are outlined in the full report that can be viewed here.
If you are a Cleveland-grower or food producer that is interested in learning more about the farm to school market channel, please reach out to us at ohiofeedourfuture@gmail.com.