Finding out how farms can offer solutions to local problems

ALLEN COUNTY, Ky. – Farmers are a huge part of any community, and making sure the community uses their resources to solve problems is important to both the community and the farms.

Need More Acres Farm hosted an event to bring different sectors together, to collaborate and find ways local farms can help in ways previously and thought of. It is through these collaborations that farms can thrive, and the community can benefit from what the farms have to offer.

“I think, showing up in our communities and getting involved, we’re very involved as a farm with our local health departments, our hospitals, our school systems, other nonprofits and organizations that that care about food access. And I think by doing that, we’ve been able to build these partnerships over a long period of time where we can work together and figure out creative solutions on how we can feed people, but also help farmers become more successful,” said owner of Need More Acres Farm Michelle Howell.

Farms have often been an answer to many solutions, whether it’s providing produce, jobs and even educational opportunities. But finding those answers can be challenging. It is through this collaboration with different sectors that those answers can come to light.

“It’s a great opportunity for a farm to be able to kind of tackle a solution and a problem that they may not be able to see themselves in, but they were always part of. They have been part of the solution all along. And it sometimes takes folks from different sectors to identify that for them or together,” said Tomas Delgado, program manager for the National Farm to School Network.

It is through these collaborative efforts between different sectors and the farming industry that they can build a better community for the future.