School lunch programs in the TRI-county area (saratoga, warren, and washington counties) have had difficulty in obtaining the NYS 30% initiative due to the challenges of sourcing from existing food…

The County of Saratoga received a two-year, $250,000 Project Grant award from the US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service under the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program. The grant will fund the creation of a food hub in Schuylerville, New York to facilitate sourcing of local foods for school lunch programs in Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties. As part of the project, the awardee will research the feasibility of the food hub and develop a business proposal and plan to address the needs of growers, schools, and low-income communities. A small-scale food hub pilot will be implemented to help schools meet the New York 30% Initiative through cooperative bidding on local foods. The project aims to strengthen the local food economy, generate more revenue for farmers and schools, and create a more equitable regional food system.

School lunch programs in the TRI-county area (saratoga, warren, and washington counties) have had difficulty in obtaining the NYS 30% initiative due to the challenges of sourcing from existing food hubs, and from individual farmers. Local growers, similarly, have had difficulty in accessing institutional markets due to the quantities required of the industry. Low-income populations in the TRI-county area have little access to low-cost local foods, which can provide greater nutrient density than their conventionally grown counterparts. This project will research the feasibility of creating a food hub in schuylerville, NY. As a part of this study, and resulting business proposal, a plan for addressing the needs of low-income communities, growers, school lunch programs, and other institutional buyers will be included. A small-scale food hub will be created, to act as a proof of concept, and facilitate school lunch programs in obtaining the NYS 30% initiative through cooperative bidding. Creation of a business proposal for the food hub will include the input of local growers to better understand and incorporate their needs. Included in the business proposal will also be a plan for making local foods more accessible to low-income populations in the TRI-county area. We expect to find that the addition of a food hub in schuylerville, NY will create a more robust local food economy, generate more revenue for local growers and school lunch programs, and create a more equitable food system.