Farming for life is a comprehensive program that will alter the current food production and access trajectory by bringing together healthcare, agriculture, and social services organizations to…

Farming for life is a comprehensive program that will alter the current food production and access trajectory by bringing together healthcare, agriculture, and social services organizations to systematically address issues of food insecurity, health, and local food production. This program will build a bridge between healthcare, social services, and agriculture to mitigate the heavy burdens of chronic disease and food insecurity while simultaneously enhancing the capacity of local farmers to continue supplying the community with fresh produce. Participants will be referred to farming for life by their primary care physicians, where they will collect weekly supplies of vegetables free of charge. The vegetables will be sourced directly from local farms and will be distributed through existing distribution infrastructure at local social services organizations. Program evaluations will occur every six months to ensure that the food needs of participants are being met and disease risks arebeing reduced. Furthermore, a portion of the agricultural production for the program will be completed by a new farmers training program that seeks to enhance local agriculture for generations to come. This program meets the stated goals of the CFP by uniting several sectors of the food system – farms, food access organizations, and healthcare facilities – to strengthen the capacity and health of the community. Farming for life represents a long-term sustainable solution to the issues of food insecurity and chronic disease burden by engaging local farmers to play a primary role in improving the quality of life of those in the community they serve. The ultimate goal of farming for life is to encourage health insurance providers to adopt vegetable prescriptions as a medical treatment for those withtype 2 diabetes.