The Local Foods, Local Places (LFLP) program, hosted by the Environmental Protection Service, released a toolkit in 2017 that incorporated findings from three rounds of the technical assistance grants it provides to communities in support of local food enterprises development. The toolkit includes step-by-step instructions for community-led workshops that allow local officials, community groups, businesses and citizens to set priorities and action steps for developing the potential of their local food system. Access the toolkit here.
Communities receiving LFLP support have worked on a diverse range of projects such as:Communities receiving LFLP support have worked on a diverse range of projects such as:
- Opening year-round, downtown markets featuring foods from local farmers.
- Planning cooperative grocery stores to help revitalize small-town main streets.
- Creating centrally located community kitchens or food hubs to aggregate and market local foods.
- Starting business incubators to help entrepreneurs launch food-related businesses on main streets.
- Making it easier for people to walk or bicycle to farmers markets and local restaurants.
- Helping schoolchildren to grow their own food, and making healthy local food accessible to families, including via SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits.
- Developing community gardens in walkable, transit-accessible places.
A selection of Community Action Plans is available at https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/local-regional/food-sector/lflp-cap.