Kansas Local Food Summit Aims to Strengthen Statewide Food Systems

By Trish Svoboda/Images courtesy K-State Research and Extension

The Kansas Local Food Summit is set to bring together farmers, food advocates, and community leaders from across the state to share ideas and build stronger local food systems. Rebecca McMahon, Local Food Systems Program Administrator with K-State Research and Extension, recently spoke about the event and its goals.

“The Kansas Local Food Summit is an opportunity for folks from across the state of Kansas that are doing something or interested in supporting local food systems to come together, to share with each other, to learn from each other about what they’re doing in their part of the state. It’s an opportunity to connect with each other, to gain inspiration. And then we hope those participants take the ideas and that inspiration back to their communities,” McMahon said.

This year’s theme, “Painting a Vibrant Future,” encourages attendees to focus on what’s possible, rather than what’s missing. Sessions will highlight real-world solutions, such as mobile meat processing, shared-use kitchens, and community strategies to combat food insecurity. “One of the things that we really wanted to do was instead of focusing on what we don’t have or what’s missing,” said McMahon. “We wanted our participants to be able to start envisioning what could be.”

The summit also features projects from the Local Food Fellows program, which supports short-term positions in communities to develop food-related initiatives. “We’ve had a lot of fellows working with different farmers markets across the state, maybe helping them boost their marketing capacity or implement SNAP and double up food bucks at their market, doing more community outreach in that regard,” said McMahon. Information collected by Fellows helps develop future endeavors.

While the summit is part of a grant-funded effort set to end this fall, McMahon says organizers are seeking additional funding to continue the work. Early bird registration for the summit runs through July 18. To register, visit: https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/kansaslocalfoods/local-food-summit/registration.html

For more information about the Local Food Fellowship program visit: https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/kansaslocalfoods/get-involved/fellows/current-fellows.html

For information about Hunger Free Kansas mini-grants, visit: https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/kansaslocalfoods/get-involved/hunger-free-kansas.html

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