Why now?

Our current agricultural system is precarious and failing – farm incomes continue to decline, generations of farmers are aging out with no transition plan or successors, and farmland is dropping out of production at an alarming rate under pressure from developers, speculative investors, and competing industries. At the same time, farms nation-wide are suffering from effects of climate change in the form of droughts, floods, fires, and more. Though federal aid for crop farmers is deep and comprehensive in the form of  insurance coverage, marketing, export sales, research, and other activities, many of the farms that receive adequate institutional support are commodity farms producing end-products that are not healthy, nutrient-dense food intended for human consumption.  In fact, the majority of farms in the US produce crops that end up as feed for environmentally disastrous confinement farms, or as products for industry such as ethanol, alcohol, or sweeteners. In 2012, the UN declared resilient, small-scale farms with diverse ecology and enterprises the answer to food insecurity world-wide for the uncertain times ahead. However, in the US these types of farms do not receive the same benefits from the USDA as large-scale industrialized farms, and USDA technical service departments aren’t set up to understand these types of businesses.

While we work with grass-roots organizations to correct federal policy and funding to reflect changing agricultural needs, we do what we can in our communities to address these issues, locally.

New York State is well positioned to be a leader in agricultural food production in a nation adapting to these climate and political uncertainties – all of which are underscored by the recent and continuing pandemic. A self-reliant New York is a more resilient New York. 

For a decade, a community of farmers in Delaware, Otsego, and Schoharie counties have been working out of necessity on an alternative production and distribution project (first the Lucky Dog Food Hub and then The 607 CSA)  to ensure food-security for our foodshed by creating a collaborative resilient local food system. CAA is the culmination of that work. We think of our organization as a pilot project and template for resilient regional food systems nation-wide.

Our work, thus far, has been carried on the backs of farmers and volunteers using outdated equipment, trucks and infrastructure.  We seek funding to help us to grow into the robust, hand-in-glove support system our farmers and community members need in order to realize our self-sufficiency and self-determination.

https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/feeding-world-sustainably

https://farmland.org/about/whats-at-stake/

https://www.farmaid.org/category/issues/farm-economy-in-crisis/