Engaging Farmers, Culinary Schools, and Communities in Value-Added Production to Strengthen Local Food Systems

Authors

Lauren B. Errickson, Rutgers Cooperative ExtensionFollow
Ethan D. Schoolman, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
Virginia Quick, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
Sarah Davis, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
Anthony Capece, Elijah's Promise

Volume

60

Issue

3

DOI

10.34068/joe.60.03.04

Abstract

Value-added products can generate farm income and improve community food access, yet lack of available kitchen infrastructure and labor can limit farm production capacity. This project explored how community-based culinary schools might fill the gap. A unique “product share” model was identified and piloted, meeting the collective needs of farmers, a culinary school, and urban consumers. By researching farmer crop availability and business model preferences, and aligning value-added production with community food preferences, we demonstrate a successful pilot indicative that similar initiatives can be replicated in other metropolitan areas, with potential to engage cross-disciplinary extension professionals.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Errickson, L. B., Schoolman, E. D., Quick, V., Davis, S., & Capece, A. (2022). Engaging Farmers, Culinary Schools, and Communities in Value-Added Production to Strengthen Local Food Systems. The Journal of Extension, 60(3), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.60.03.04