How can you help make connections between under-utilized resources to benefit the farmers in your area? Hear how one group is building partnerships to connect farmers and consumers across a rural region in central Louisiana. Learn strategies to attract interest and investment in your rural community, to change policy and improve health, for long-term gains and positive outcomes.

1. MOBILIZING
RESOURCES
FOR
RURAL
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT

2. Contents
• About Us
• A Brief History
• Rural Prosperity, Food Policy & Leadership
• Regional Farmers Market Program Development
• TechnicalAssistance &Wrap Around Supportive Services
• Discussion

3. Who We Are
Fresh Central is connected by the Central
Louisiana Economic Development
Alliance (CLEDA).
Our mission is to help people prosper in
vibrant, thriving communities.
The Innovation & Entrepreneurship team
focuses on building rural prosperity
through regional food systems and
creative economy development.

4. The Ten Parish Region
Allen
Avoyelles
Catahoula
Concordia
Grant
LaSalle
Rapides
Natchitoches
Vernon
Winn

5. Innovation &
Entrepreneurship
Rural Prosperity, Food Policy & Leadership
Regional Farmers Market Program Development
Technical Assistance & Wrap Around Supportive Services
The Economics of
Food and Makers
in the Rural
Landscape

6. Rural Prosperity, Food
Policy & Leadership It’s all about the momentum

7. Rural Prosperity and Rural Resiliency
• Building sustainable and resilient
rural communities
• Starts with, and builds upon, a
vibrant local food system
• Relies on connections between
community leaders and all
community citizens
• Sustainable only through local
leadership

8. Food Policy Development

9. Local Food Leadership

10. Attracting Interest and Investment
• Foodapaloozas
• Maker Mornings
• ChangeLab Solutions Policy Learning Lab
• Partnership with State of Oklahoma
• Visiting Iowa, Nebraska, Indian Springs Farmers
Association, etc.

11. Regional Farmers Market
Program Development If you build it, will they come??

12. FILLINGTHE
NEED

13. systems
approach
project-based
approach
?
Bridging the Gap

14. Bridging the Gap
farmers
markets
systems
approach
project-based
approach

15. CONNECTIONS &
RELATIONSHIPS

16. RegionalApproach

17. Resources &TechnicalAssistance

18. Partnerships

19. Programs

20. FarmersWorkingTogether

21. ATTRACTING
INTEREST &
INVESTMENT

22. ATTRACTING
INTEREST &
INVESTMENT
Farmer success
Access to fresh, local
food
Healthy people
Demand for fresh,
local food

23. Quality of Life

24. Quality of Life

26. TechnicalAssistance &
Wrap Around Supportive
Services
Supporting farmer success and
increased fresh, healthy local
food access.

27. More Farmers
Stronger
Connections
Better
Opportunities

28. Supporting Improved
Farmer Outcomes
• High quality, customizable technical
assistance.
• Designed for new entry and existing
farmers and ranchers.
• Focused on increasing farm
household income with sustainable
agricultural practices and sound
business planning.
• Group workshops & short courses
paired with one-on-one services to
alleviate roadblocks to participation.

29. Training the
Institutions
• Feels like match-making at our
current scale.
• GAP certification inhibits current
opportunities.
• Working with distribution
companies to encourage access to
technical assistance.
• Understanding how to address
plate costs for restaurants and other
precise institutional needs.
• Liaison between farmers and
institutions and vice versa.

30. Advanced Resources

31. Collaborating for Impact

32. Closing Remarks Putting the pieces together for
systemic change.

33. Align don’t Drift:
build relationships
based on shared
goals and shared
desired outcomes.
Mission Alignment:
should naturally
lead to shared goals
and outcomes.
Shared goals and
outcomes should
progress to
measurements.
Common metrics
should document
successes and
failures (a.k.a.
learning
opportunities)

34. Learn more: www.freshcentral.org & www.cenla.org
AllisonTohme
Regional Farmers Market
Program Developer
Bahia Nightengale
Director of Local Food
Initiatives
John Dean
jdean@cenla.org
318-441-3424
AllisonTohme
atohme@cenla.org
318-441-3423
Bahia Nightengale
bnightengale@cenla.org
318-441-3408
John Dean
Director of Rural
Prosperity Initiatives