Krysta Harden: Local food is growing roots

There are 755 farmers markets in California, ranking the state among the top 10 across the country. Californians join friends and neighbors in buying directly from area farmers and food vendors, learning more about where their food comes from and the unique nature of their community.

At the same time, local farmers are building their businesses, creating jobs and contributing to the economy.

Yet, farmers markets are the roots to a bigger story. Local-food systems are blossoming into a robust and resilient market sector. With each transaction, the supply and demand for local food is growing more sophisticated and more sustainable.

The USDA’s Economic Research Service reports that farmers across the country sold an estimated $6.1 billion in locally marketed foods in 2012. Industry estimates suggest local food sales topped $11.7 billion in 2014. This is serious money. More and more of it is coming from sales to retailers, institutions and restaurants rather than through farmers markets. In other words, the demand side is maturing as businesses pay more attention to what their customers want.

On the supply side, we already know that from 2006 to 2014 the number of farmers markets jumped 180 percent to 8,260, giving farmers across the country opportunities for direct-to-consumer sales. This growth is due in part to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s commitment to local and regional food systems during the Obama administration. Today, these markets give farmers opportunities to grow their businesses and meet evolving consumer demand.

One change came through farm-to-school programs. In 2012, more than 4,300 school districts across the country reported spending more than $385 million on local food through farm-to-school programs. In California, more than 2,600 schools were spending more than $51 million on local food.

These numbers show that the local food movement is alive and well, and becoming a healthy, established part of the broader marketplace. The National Restaurant Association has been identifying locally sourced produce, meat and seafood among the top culinary trends for several years. As demand for local food grows, so do the supporting businesses. In many cases, restaurants, schools, supermarkets and other institutions are using regional food hubs to move local food from farmers to meet wholesale, retail and institutional needs. There are more than 135 operational food hubs in our Food Hub National Directory, 10 in California.

Where is all this local food coming from? According to the 2012 USDA Census of Agriculture, more than 163,600 farms were engaged in local food production across the country, relying on sales directly to consumers and to institutional buyers. As farmers expand their reach into supermarkets, cafeterias, schools and restaurants, options for consumers to get locally grown food expand, too.

The USDA Census of Agriculture also notes that nearly 1 in 5 farmers has operated a farm for less than 10 years. These new farmers are innovative, entrepreneurial and creative. They are as diverse as American agriculture itself, growing traditional crops and new varieties, organic produce and heirloom products. They are developing added-value products, from sauces to ciders. They are part of row-crop farms and are employing cutting-edge technology.

And they are developing their businesses to meet demand for locally sourced food.

USDA is investing in these new and beginning farmers by offering the tools and resources they need to succeed, such as easier access to capital through microloans, business development training and education, and changes in crop insurance to help manage risk.

USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative coordinates our work as the sector continues to grow. In the past two years, USDA has made more than 500 investments in food hubs, local processing facilities and distribution networks. Northern California’s Hoopa Valley Tribe got a USDA grant to buy a truck to deliver healthy food, much of it grown by local producers, to more than 1,200 Native American and low-income people in 13 rural counties. A second grant allowed the tribe to buy a refrigerated truck.

As market demands grow and evolve, California’s local and regional food movement has proven the best is yet to come.

This story was originally published June 29, 2015 at 8:22 AM with the headline "Krysta Harden: Local food is growing roots."