CFA_2009_Campaign

Community Farm Alliance 2009 Campaign FAQs (Jefferson County)

What are your campaign proposals?

· We are proposing a county-wide “Buy-Local Ordinance” that will mandate all Jefferson County local public agencies to dedicate at least 10% of all food purchases throughout the fiscal year to KY-grown agricultural products

· Also, CFA members will also present a Locally Integrated Food Economy (LIFE) project of their choice to their Council person to support with the Councilperson’s discretionary funds

What is a local public agency?

· In the Kentucky Revised Statues, a local public agency refers to a city, county, urban-county, consolidated local government, school district, special district, or an agency formed by a combination of such agencies under KRS Chapter 79, or any department, board, commission, authority, office, or other sub-unit of a political subdivision which shall include the offices of the county clerk, county sheriff, county attorney, coroner, and jailer. (KRS 45A.345(11))

Why should I support this campaign?

· If Jefferson County offices begin to support KY-grown agricultural products, it will greatly increase the market for our KY farmers

· Jefferson County residents might also benefit from lower local food prices as the demand for local food increases

· The increase in demand will also bring economic development to the county in the form of job opportunities in local food production and preparation

· Local food is fresher because it does not have to travel as far from the farm to your plate. Also, the energy required to ship food from far distances increases the price of the product. Buying local helps the environment.

· LIFE projects are outlets for nutrition education and local food access for limited access groups and contribute to re-creating the social environment for local food

Has anything like this been done before?

· There is currently a state-wide Buy-Local Policy that affects state agencies

i. KRS 45A.645 was modified by HB 669 in 2006 to state that state agencies, as defined by KRS 45A.505, shall purchase Kentucky-grown agricultural products, if the products are available and if the vendor can meet the applicable quality standards and pricing requirements of the state agency.

· Also, Jefferson County currently supports local business through Chapter 37 of the County Code. Reference: (1994 Jeff. Code, § 37.02) (Jeff. Ord. 5-1991, adopted and effective 2-26-1991; Jeff. Am. Ord. 14-1998, adopted and effective 6-9-1998; Lou. Metro Am. Ord. No. 233-2003, approved 12-19-2003) CFA is willing to work with this current ordinance on an amendment that includes KY-grown agricultural product and requires a minimum purchase rate.

· Current LIFE projects in Jefferson County include farmers’ markets, C-LIFE, Stone Soup Louisville, Fresh Stops, community gardens, and Community Supported Agriculture. All LIFE projects operate on budgets less than $2,000 each throughout KY’s growing season.

How can the 10% be accomplished during the calendar year?

Through community events for which food is provided or city-wide celebrations for which food is provided.

How will you know if the city has purchased at least 10%

City offices/departments are already required to report their expenditures at the end of every year. There would need to be an explicit line in the report for the total amount of all food product purchases and a line for the total amount of food products purchased that qualify as KY-grown agricultural product.

Will this cost me anything?

We are asking our county government to allocate 10% of their already existing food budget toward the purchase of KY grown agricultural products. We are not asking them to increase the food budget to purchase KY grown agricultural products.