PROGRAM
Food & Farms
Building resilience into our food system
Food is at the heart of every community. It brings families and neighbors together, defines and blends culture, nourishes health, and fuels life. And the system of producing, processing and distributing food creates jobs, engenders opportunity, drives innovation and productivity, and facilitates creative expression, especially in underserved rural and urban areas.
But in the face of resource scarcity and growing global demand, we need a new regional model for our food system capable of building community resilience.
How do we get there? We are helping entities that spend millions on food — including school cafeterias, university dining halls, corporate cafes, and regional restaurant chains — buy local. We coordinate the development of scale-appropriate aggregation, processing, and distribution infrastructure to move food within regions. We support family-scale farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and food processors to access land, capital, and technical assistance needed to feed their communities and steward their land. And we inspire eaters to choose and champion homegrown.
Our blueprint for a resilient regional food economy
Spotlight

Ag of the Middle
To change the food system, we need to get farmers’ market values at wholesale scale. Mid-sized, locally-focused farmers and ranchers can help do it.
Get in touch

Agriculture of the Middle Program Manager

Angela Hedstrom
Farm to School Coordinator
503.467.0790

Jamese Kwele
Director of Equity / Director of Food Equity
503.227.6225

Yolimar Rivera Vazquez
Food & Farms Coordinator
503.227.6225
