Current Projects
Buy Fresh Buy Local
| The "Buy Fresh, Buy Local Missoula" campaign aims to reintroduce Missoulians to their food - the seed it grows from, the farmers that produce it, the land that cradles it, and the routes that take it from field to table. Many local Missoula restaurants are participating in this program by highlighting local and seasonal foods the first Friday of every month. |
As part of this effort, the restaurateurs are pledging to: Celebrate local and seasonal foods; Purchase from western Montana growers and producers; Build awareness of the Missoula food system by educating diners, patrons and consumers; Network with other local restaurants/ brewers/winemakers/stores and with western Montana food producers to develop our food system community and sustainable local economy; and Actively support Missoula's Community Food and Agriculture Coalition, its goals, efforts and events.
Farmers Market EBT Program
| Beginning June 2007, Montana access card users can purchase local, fresh food by utilizing their food stand benefits at both of Missoula's farmers markets. As well as fresh foods, individuals can use their EBT benefits to purchase edible plants and seeds. On-site market assistants provide instructions on use of cards as well as assistance in determining eligibility for non-users. |  |
Farm to School Program
 | Montana's pilot Farm to School program was implemented in August 2005 in the Missoula County Public School district (MCPS). Farm to School efforts in Montana are currently led by the Community Food and Agriculture Coalition, in collaboration with other organizations with similar goals of strengthening Montana's food system and assuring that all citizens have access to affordable, healthy foods. |
The Farm to School program works with local farmers, ranchers and food service staff to feature Montana-grown food items in the school cafeterias when possible. The Missoula Public School district consists of 12 elementary and 5 high schools. In addition, the Farm to School program provides educational classroom learning opportunities for students about what types of food are grown in Montana, how these can be a part of a healthy diet, and how food choices affect the broader community.
Finding Solutions to Food Insecurity
 | Hunger and food insecurity are on the rise in Montana as is the use of emergency food programs to address these issues. It is estimated that 12.5 % of all households in Montana are food insecure and 4% are hungry (FRAC, 2005). Issues related to cost of living, wages, education, and food assistance and emergency food program policies create barriers that compromise many Missoula residents' ability to be food secure. |
The Finding Solutions to Food Insecurity (FSFI) project seeks to uncover and dismantle the barriers to accessing healthy, nutritious food in Missoula. It is a collaborative research project guided by community members, many of whom struggle daily with hunger and food insecurity. Driven by the philosophy of community-based participatory research, FSFI strives to create community change from the ground up by including the voices of people experiencing food insecurity in the fact finding and policymaking processes.
Farmland Protection and Economic Viability of Agriculture
 | A two-part Community Food Assessment for Missoula County revealed a couple threats to our community food security: 1) farmland is rapidly being converted to development, and 2) the economic viability of agriculture is struggling. Part one, Our Foodshed in Focus: Missoula County Food and Agriculture by the Numbers (PDF), showed that while our population is increasing, the capacity to feed ourselves with locally produced food is decreasing. Between 1960 and 2000, the County's population increased 114%. Meanwhile, the acres in agricultural production decreased 34% from 1954 to 1997. |
Part two of the Community Food Assessment, Food Matters: Farm Viability and Food Consumption in Missoula County (PDF), provides further insights into these patterns. In a survey of 52 producers, 69% rely mainly on off-farm incomes, and 71% said they thought agriculture was "struggling" in Missoula County. Many producers identified two interrelated problems as the source of the struggle: low economic returns and development pressures.
The Farmland Protection and Economic Viability of Agriculture Committee's central goals are to 1) secure and influence policies and regulations and 2) support and initiate programs that encourage and promote farmland protection and the economic viability of agriculture in Missoula County in ways that bolster our community food security.
Below are three reports on specific strategies to preserve farm and ranchland and increase economic viability of agriculture: (Click on the title to link to the full report)
A Land Link for Western Montana
Keeping land in agriculture from one generation to the next
Western Montana's agricultural land is rapidly being developed in the wake of an increasing population and aging farmers and ranchers. The subsequent high land values make it difficult for producers to access agricultural land. The Community Food and Agriculture Coalition has prioritized the creation of a land link matching service to help connect farm and ranch owners with people looking for agricultural land to expand or start production operations.
Preserving Farm and Ranchland in Western Montana via Economic Development Strategies
Summary of Research, May 2006
In Missoula County's Community Food Assessment, producers highlighted two interconnected threats to the region's farms and ranches: increasing development pressure and low economic returns in agriculture. This report explores this issue further through the perspectives of local economists and economic development professionals, seeking to identify the economic barriers and opportunities for local producers and economic development strategies that will best enhance the viability of farming and ranching in the region.
Wanted: Beginning Farmers
With the average age of Missoula County's producers at 57 - up from 49 in 1982 - we need beginning farmers and ranchers. But we don't need just any crop of young producers. Agriculture is a tough business, and the situation demands that the next generation of farmers and ranchers know how to produce and market food, as well as balance the books and manage a viable business. Who will be the next generation of farmers and ranchers? Where will they gain the prerequisite experience, knowledge and skills?
Incubator Farms: the concept
One strategy to help educate aspiring producers and establish their businesses is an incubator farm. The basic concept is that the program hosts and trains farmers as they grow food, share equipment, establish their markets, and learn from their mistakes, successes and fellow producers. Then, once their businesses are viable, they spin off of the incubator farm and find their own land.
Thank you to Paul Hubbard for his work on these studies.
