The Story of the Beyond the Market Project
Phase 2
Smithers
New Farm Initiative
- Provide training & mentoring opportunities
- Highlight unique northern challenges and advantages
- Explore way to reduce barriers to farmland access
The Big Picture
Beef Value Chain
- Support ranchers with skills and guidance they need for direct sales
- Search for new market opportunities
- Assist buyers through local procurement process
Goal 1: Training & Professional Development
Dunster
Achievements of Phase 1
- Learning topics customized to local needs
- Quality facilitation
- Regularly scheduled events
- cross-regional opportunities
- Two years
- 36 local training events
- 10 Fall Fairs + Expos
- 20+ partner organizations
- 6 communities
- 0.4 FTE
- $55,000 annual budget
- 34% of the province's ALR
- 100's of farms served
What Have We Cut?
- Created database of local operators
- Website built with directory of local farms
- Outreach to and mapping of food processing and distribution businesses
- Outreach to communities
- Some small local purchasing successes
- Newsletter and communication centre established
- Partnerships with UNBC
- Summary Report
- Research
- Feasibility Studies
- Market Development
- Lengthy Publications
Vanderhoof
Phase 3: All Killer, No Filler
46,000 views, +/- 75 views a day
Goal 2: Central Info Network & Customized support
The people have spoken. What do they want?
- Learning, training & networking
- A central connection to bring all agencies together
- Tailored support for individual needs
- Extension of resources into the local communities
- Celebration of local successes
- Up to date and regionally relevant info
- Answers for a million questions
- A real person
- Library of resources and materials
- Representation on important projects and calls for input
- Info booths and Fall fairs and Business Expos
- Help desk and coaching
http://www.beyondthemarket.ca/
Exploring the Heart of Food & Farming
We discovered we knew very little!
- Who were the operators?
- What kinds of businesses did they run?
- What were their relationships in the community?
- What were their biggest challenges?
- what kind of opportunities did they see for the future?
- How can communities become more involved?
Drive for Change
The Year 2009....
Globally: state of the global food system reaches awareness tipping point
Agriculturally: Mad cow disease leads to massive changes for the cattle industry
Locally: Mountain pine beetle leads to massive changes in the forestry industry and our forestry communities
Agriculture in the Economy
CHALLENGES
Competing land values
Changing labour markets
Changing demographics
specialized production
Global food systems
Forgotten farmers
Unprepared for change
OPPORTUNITIES
Sustainable landuse
Rural employment
Family businesses
Diversified operations
Food security
Culture and identity
Adaptive and resilient