Do you want to host an event to bolster your regional food economy, and need some help getting started?

Building Local Food Networks: A Tool Kit for Organizers provides guidance for establishing local food netowrks in general, as well as specifics about organizing a Farmer-Chef Connection gathering in detail. Extensive appendices provide sample materials, templates and tools for organizers.  The toolkit is available for $35 as a pdf download.

The Learning Community

In conjunction with the Toolkit, Ecotrust has launched an online, interactive learning community to stimulate peer-to-peer exchange of ideas, questions, and lessons learned around the topic of building local food networks. In the recipe for creating food and farm networks, there may not be such a thing as “too many cooks in the kitchen.” The interactive forum creates and sustains a virtual, national network of individuals working to create more sustainable food systems in their own region. To join the community, visit localfoodnetworks.net.

By clicking this link you will be directed to a site where you may request an invitation to the Building Local Food Networks learning community by following these three steps:

1. Enter your name and email on this site and submit your request.

2. You will receive and email invitation with a link to Building Local Food Networks

3. Establish your member profile, enter the forum and access the toolkit