The Foodshed Mission StatementThe Foodshed Alliance is a grassroots, non-profit devoted to promoting profitable, sustainable farming and locally-grown, fresh, healthy food in northwestern New Jersey. We believe that the future of our health, our land, and our communities depends, to great extent, on the existence of local farms-that farmers are the keystone to our connection with our food, the land and our sense of place. It is this conviction that drives us to work, with farmers, consumers, and agricultural professionals to foster a self-sustaining "foodshed" that supports farmers, nourishes people, respects the land, and strengthens our communities.
What does the Foodshed Alliance do?
The Foodshed Alliance is a grassroots, non-profit devoted to promoting locally-grown food and farming. We work with farmers, community members, and agricultural leaders to develop projects that foster the growth of a sustainable local food system. We focus on raising public awareness about the value of local foods and on helping farmers find more profitable and sustainable ways to grow and market their products.
Our Goals
Promote a robust farm economy in northwest New Jersey through local efforts and regional collaborations.
Develop programs that contribute to the profitability and sustainability of local farms.
Raise people’s awareness about the value of locally-grown food and farming.
Demonstrate how farming and food is an integral part of our health, our economy, our communities, and the environment.
Encourage and support farming practices that respect and replenish the land and its natural ecosystems while producing healthy food.
Contribute to the development of a regional network of farmers, consumers, and agricultural professionals devoted to building a local food system. Serve as a clearinghouse for the information, resources, and services provided by this community.
Advance agriculture as a way of preserving our rural landscapes and hindering their destruction by the spread of sprawl.
How did the Foodshed Alliance get started?
The Foodshed Alliance grew out of a dream of a self-sustaining rural economy -- based on the production and sale of local foods – for the Ridge & Valley of Warren and Sussex Counties -- to preserve this beautiful land of fertile soils, pristine streams, wooded hills, dairy and crop farms, and historic villages. The dream was launched in 2001 through a two-year grant of $121,200 from the Educational Foundation of America. Subsequent grants were obtained from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the New Jersey Conservation Foundation.