Strolling of the Heifers, a Vermont-based local-food advocacy group, has released its 2014 Locavore Index. New Hampshire is ranked third, just behind top-ranked Vermont and Maine.
The Locavore Index incorporates data on farmer’s markets, community-supported agriculture (CSA), food hub, farm-to-institution activities, and Farm-to-School programs, and compares states on a per-capita basis.Barn and tractor under partly cloudy skyAlthough New Hampshire moved up 10 notches from the 13th position in 2012, its improvement wasn’t really sudden. Collaborative efforts to strengthen local food consumption and systems have been building for years. Demand and supply have grown, and farmers and food producers have used new and creative options to meet the demand. One of them is the Community Loan Fund’s Farm Food Initiative, which offers alternative financing options and technical assistance.
Let’s look at some of the ways the farmers we work with have increased both their production and their bottom line. Read More.
Charlene Andersen is the Manager of Business Education for the Community Loan Fund’s Business Finance team.
Courtesy of Community Loan Fund: http://www.communityloanfund.org/blog/locavore2014
