The catskills local food promotion project will cultivate the local food economy through public private partnerships with the catskills food hub and area farm and food producers; support the…

This $1,003,520 Project Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service through the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (CFDA 10.175) supports the Catskills Local Food Promotion Project. Managed by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County with Cornell University as the parent awardee, the project aims to strengthen the local food system in economically deprived areas of New York over three years through September 2029. Specifically, the project will provide technical assistance, education, and financial support to at least 20 farms and food businesses to develop business and marketing plans. It will also facilitate partnerships between producers and the Catskills Food Hub for product development, distribution, and sales. The goal is to cultivate the local food economy, support value-added food production, and increase access to markets, building economic resilience as the region recovers from the pandemic.

The catskills local food promotion project will cultivate the local food economy through public private partnerships with the catskills food hub and area farm and food producers; support the development of business plans and marketing plans for food producers and small to mid sized farms through consultation and existing infrastructure resources; support the development and expansion of value-added production in the county and surrounding region through the use of the catskills commerical and teaching kitchens' strengthen capacity of the local food system through community collaborations and expansion of mid-tier value chains for at least 20 farm and food businesses, small food processors, and food entrepreneurs in the economically deprived but growing USDA identified sullivan-warwarsing reap zone, opportunity zones, and low income (LI) and low access (LA) tract 36105950700 in sullivan county, new york, ensuring the foundation for a strong pandemic recover. Over three years the project willsupport the development, approval, licensing, processing, production, packaging, marketing, storage, sales, and distribution of farm and food products in and around sullivan county through educational workshops and technical assistance, linkages between food entrepreneurs and sullivan county and surrounding county farmers to source local ingredients for product development, access to a shared-used, fully-inspected, commercial incubator kitchen, along with access to the catskills food hub and by providing financial assistance for any necessary food safety certifications, the implementation of business and marketing plans, commercial kitchen use, schedule process and the NYS AG & markets 20-C licensing process. Overall, increasing access to direct and wholesale opportunities for food and farm producers, while increasing the sales and sustainability of the catskills food hub, which in the end strengthens our local food system.