Headwaters Food and Farming Alliance offers this monthly e-newsletter featuring the foundational pillars of the Headwaters Food Charter . The Charter was developed in partnership with WDG Public Health and has been widely endorsed. This series aims to keep you informed about issues and events relating to the Charter's 6 Pillars, 15 Goals and 27 Actions prioritized by our communities to enhance our food system.
Economic Vitality
We value the role of food and farming businesses in the Headwaters economy .
CHARTER CHECK ✅

Economic Vitality

Goal 1: Food and farming businesses are developing, expanding and increasing.

Goal 2: A skilled and growing food and farming workforce exists.

Goal 3: Headwaters is an agricultural, food and culinary destination.
Action 1: Build Awareness of the Headwaters Region as a food cluster encompassing production, processing and service businesses.
 
Action 2: Build partnerships with food sector businesses and academic institutions to strengthen skills of the food sector workforce.
 
Action 3: Partner with Headwaters Tourism, municipalities and individual operators to promote Headwaters as an agricultural, food and culinary destination.
 
Action 4: Encourage municipalities to create polices and infrastructure that support attraction, retention and expansion of local food processing and agricultural businesses.
 
Action 5: Work with farmers and municipalities to strategize ways to improve local food purchasing in institutions, schools and agencies.
 
Action 6: Support opportunities for education and training for local farmers and/or food entrepreneurs.
HFFA has been working on building awareness, developing partnerships and working with farmers and municipalities as part of our current programs to support the economic viability of food and farm businesses in the Headwaters economy. Four key programs have been the cornerstones of these efforts: Headwaters Farm to School (F2S) programs; Headwaters Farm Fresh Guide; two seasonal dinner series; and this on-going and regular e-communications program.
In 2019, HFFA has organized seven dinners at local restaurants and farms to help increase the profile of our food system, support and grow local food and farm businesses and economy. The successful Willing Hearts Winter Harvest dinner series featured dinners at local Headwaters restaurants (Mono Cliffs Inn in January, Forks of the Credit Inn in February, Millcroft Inn in March and Mrs. Mitchell's in April).

The summer Farm to Table dinner series is currently underway and happening on Headwaters farms partnering with local chefs! With the Rockcliffe Farm dinner in July and GoodLot Brewery in August sold-out, there is still opportunity to attend the third and final dinner of the series at Not So Hollow Farm in September.

Best of all, funds raised at the dinners support Farm to School Programs.

Action you can take: attend the dinner at:
HFFA - in partnership with In the Hills Magazine and supported by Headwaters Communities in Action, Town of Caledon, Town of Mono, Town of Orangeville and Mulmur Township - produced 10,000 paper copies of the 2019 Headwater Farm Fresh Guide in addition to those included with the magazine. This program also ensures the directory is up to date on the website.
In Caledon, the Region of Peel supports the Grown in Peel Guide that is a directory of farms and farmers’ markets in Peel that are open to the public.

Action you can take: check out both guides and make plans to visit some of the many farms in Headwaters to help support our local food economy and our neighbours!
When the World Food Programme goes into an area ravaged by natural disasters, one of their strongest actions is to start school meal programs, and they work to build up the supply chain of local producers from whom to procure this food. It provides much needed healthy food, gives a reason for kids to attend school, teaches kids about food and supports local producers. Teaching our kids in Headwaters about healthy local food is just as important. Farm to School gives kids, parents and our community the chance to engage with and support our local food economy and provides much needed food and farm education.
Here are a few figures showing the economic and other impacts of our Local Food Club (LFC) over the 2018-2019 school year:

  • We have purchased food from no less than 22 food producers in Headwaters Region alone (with a handful more across southern Ontario).
  • We packed just over 850 LFC bags from October to June.
  • The food we purchased from farms and products from local businesses is valued at more than $25,600!
  • And all those bags and all that food provided meals for over 3,264 mouths in our community!
  • Did you know LFC also gives back to the schools? We offer schools the choice of gift bags or cash back as a % of sales. This year we gave 36 LFC gift packs and about $2,000 back to schools.
  • Everywhere we go, people tell us what an amazing initiative they think this is! LFC gets glowing reviews from participants as well as suppliers as an ideal way to support the local food system while educating our young people.
 
Action you can take: Learn more about HFFA Farm to School Programs and participate in the Local Food Club by signing up your school age children, volunteering with the program or donating to help support schools in accessing the programs.
Food for thought from beyond our hills

Happy Food Day Canada! August 3rd 2019 is Food Day Canada, a is a chance for all Canadians to join hands in one massive celebration in praise of our farmers and fishers; our chefs and researchers…and, above all, our home cooks. 



Farm to Plate is Vermont’s food system plan being implemented statewide to increase economic development and jobs in the farm and food sector and improve access to healthy local food for all Vermonters.


Since 2010 purchases of local food in Vermont have increased by $176 million to $310 million in total (13.9% of total food and beverage sales); 6,559 net new jobs and 742 net new businesses have been created; and the percentage of food insecure Vermont households has dropped to 9.8% from 13.2%
Know your HFFA Hub members
Karen Hutchinson is the author of this month's newsletter on Economic Vitality. Karen is a founding member of HFFA and has been instrumental in securing funding, providing food systems expertise and guiding the group's policy work, including during the development of Headwaters Food Charter. She also heads up the Caledon Countryside Alliance and Albion Hills Community Farm among many other food system-related pursuits.
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Our Vision
The Headwaters Food and Farming Alliance (HFFA) envisions a food system that is productive, sustainable, transparent, and fair; supports the health and well-being of our residents and food providers; and contributes to the prosperous and equitable economy.
Headwaters Food and Farming Alliance (HFFA) is a project of
Headwaters Communities In Action