{"id":93705,"date":"2019-06-02T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-06-02T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/young-farmers-want-to-bring-food-to-underserved-populations\/"},"modified":"2019-06-02T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-06-02T18:00:00","slug":"young-farmers-want-to-bring-food-to-underserved-populations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/young-farmers-want-to-bring-food-to-underserved-populations\/","title":{"rendered":"Young farmers want to bring food to underserved populations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Megan
Megan Davey of Mancos helps plant potatoes on a plot near Turtle Lake as part of a new program that seeks to bolster young farmers while at the same time bring fresh food to underserved populations.<\/span>Jonathan Romeo\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Supporting young farmers to grow food destined for the dinner tables of underserved populations sounds like a win-win for all involved. But can it work, realistically and financially?<\/p>\n

An effort is afoot to find out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis model we\u2019re working on could be really cool,\u201d said Sam Perry, owner of Fenceline Cider in Mancos. \u201cWe\u2019re hoping it will enrich our whole community, from the ground up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recently, a partnership has formed between the Good Food Collective, High Pine Produce in Mancos, the Rosen & Perry Ranch and local philanthropist Tom Buffalo to test the waters of an innovative, social enterprise farming project.<\/p>\n

\"Good
Good Foods Collective Director Rachel Landis, left, said it\u2019s important to keep operational costs low for farmers to serve low-income individuals and families.<\/span>Jonathan Romeo\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The goal: provide young farmers with the opportunity for a fair, steady income, while at the same time, delivering fresh, healthful foods to insecure populations.<\/p>\n

The obvious challenge, said Good Food Collective Director Rachel Landis, is to keep operational costs low to serve low-income individuals and families. And it appears the answer lies in a consortium of grant writing, volunteer time, tax deductions and nifty, nonprofit finagling.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to keep costs low and thus be able to serve this important segment of our community, the Good Food Collective will leverage our nonprofit capacity to wrangle community volunteers to get out on the land, get our hands dirty and support some of the labor portion of this project,\u201d Landis said.<\/p>\n

\"Max
Max Kirks with High Pine Produce said one of the biggest obstacles for young farmers is access to land, which comes at a high price in Southwest Colorado.<\/span>Jonathan Romeo\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The project, called Potatoes to the People, began this year in a sort of test phase.<\/p>\n

First, it started with donations.<\/p>\n

Perry offered extra land on his apple orchards in Mancos and near Turtle Lake, northwest of Durango, for planting crops. Buffalo donated seed money to kick-start the project, which was spent on various things, including equipment. And Landis brought volunteers through the Good Food Collective.<\/p>\n

Max Kirks with High Pines Produce joined as the farmer who\u2019d lead the production of the crop.<\/p>\n

Kirks said the project\u2019s organizers were constantly crunching the numbers to make sure the end product would result in a price per pound that would reflect the work he put into cultivation but also come in lower than the wholesale price so it could be donated to local food banks.<\/p>\n

\"Sam
Sam Perry, owner of Fenceline Cider in Mancos, offered extra land on his apple orchards in Mancos and near Turtle Lake, northwest of Durango, for planting crops that will ultimately be donated to local food banks.<\/span>Jonathan Romeo\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Potatoes were selected as the crop for the project\u2019s first year because of the relative ease of growing them compared with other crops, Kirks said. The hope, he said, is to come up with a model that works, then expand to five to 10 standard crops, such carrots, lettuce and onions.<\/p>\n

In Colorado, one in six people is food insecure, meaning they don\u2019t know where their next meal is coming from, Landis said. In La Plata County, one in eight people is food insecure, including one in four children.<\/p>\n

Liane Jollon, director of San Juan Basin Public Health, said the lack of access to healthful foods is a serious health issue. Less expensive foods tend to be less nutritious and can lead to obesity, and all the health risks that come with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe support anything that increases access,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Many young farmers, Perry said, get into growing food because they want to provide these populations with quality produce. But many times, the sheer cost of production forces farmers to sell their foods only in high-end markets, such as expensive restaurants or farmers markets.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Good Food Collective has helped bring volunteers to a new project that seeks to help young farmers bring food to underserved populations.<\/span>Jonathan Romeo\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cIf you could go to the food bank, and there\u2019s the highest quality local produce available, that could be really inspiring,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re on the same level as everyone else in the community because you have access to that same tier of food, and I think the social component to that is underappreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the biggest obstacles for young farmers, Kirks said, is access to land, which comes at a high price in Southwest Colorado. This project hopes to open the dialogue between farmers and landowners who potentially want to use a parcel to grow food that will ultimately be donated to local food banks.<\/p>\n

Kirks said a new state grant, called the Food Pantry Assistance Grant<\/a>, directs about $500,000 in funding for food banks and pantries, 90% of which has to be spent on Colorado Proud products.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrograms like that are helping launch the next wave of getting food to where farmers feel it needs to go,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause we don\u2019t want locally grown food to be an elitist thing, we grow food so it can go to the people who need it.\u201d<\/p>\n

jromeo@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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