AJC: Small farmers quickly adapt to fill a need during pandemic

By Nedra Rhone, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

EliYahu Ysrael of Atlanta Harvest. Photo: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Alyssa Pointer

Zach Richards had just started an internship at a farm in North Georgia when he called his friend Ilana to join him. She fell in love with farming, and Zach, and in 2017, they launched Levity Farms on 2.5 acres of rented land in Alpharetta. It didn’t take long for them to find their niche growing items such as edible flowers, specialty greens and heirloom tomatoes with the chef-focused market in mind. Soon, they were running out of food before they could fulfill orders from local chefs. In 2018, they married. In 2019, they had a baby girl, and in 2020, they, like many other small farmers across the state, were hit by the impact of the new coronavirus pandemic.

When restaurants closed, Levity Farms went from planning to provide 75% to 80% of their produce to chefs to spending one day a week traversing the metro area to deliver veggie boxes to private homes. “It is in the nature of farming to be resilient to changes in the market or changes in the climate,” said Ilana Richards as she made deliveries on a recent Tuesday. “It is one of our strengths in this industry if we are going to be good farmers or successful farmers.”

Atlanta Intown: Food Fight GA launches to help food service professionals and small farmers

By INTOWN STAFF

Photo Credit: Jenna Shea Photography

Georgia Organics and the Jamestown Charitable Foundation, a public charity from the  real estate investment and management company behind Ponce City Market, have collaborated to launch Food Fight GA.

With a mission to relieve food and income insecurity for food service professionals and Georgia’s small farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the new initiative is providing
restaurant workers with weekly grocery boxes including ingredients sourced from Georgia farms and freshly baked bread from Root Baking Co. At this time,
the program is open to current and former staff at Bacchanalia,  Floataway Cafe, Staplehouse, Star Provisions and Georgia Organics Farmer Champion restaurant partners, including BoccaLupo, The Deer & The Dove and Miller Union

Saporta Report: Emergency fund set up to help Georgia’s urban and rural farmers

Decatur’s Kitchen Garden via The Saporta Report

By Maria Saporta

Local food organizations have created a coalition to help Georgia’s urban and rural farmers weather the COVID-19 pandemic.

The organizations, – which include the Food Well Alliance and Georgia Organics, Community Farmers Markets, Wholesome Wave Georgia, Global Growers Network, the Common Market Southeast and Atlanta Farmers Coalition – have created the Farmer Fund COVID-19 Emergency Relief Campaign.

The Farmer Fund – currently led by Georgia Organics – was already in place to help farmers during natural disasters. Its board adapted the Fund so it could also raise money for those affected by the latest Coronavirus pandemic….

Civil Eats: Pastured Meat Producers are Facing Catastrophic Losses. These Efforts Could Help Them Weather the Pandemic.

Photo © Talia Jean Galvin via Civil Eats

Alice Rolls recently spoke to a writer with food and farming advocacy site CivilEats.com, where she shared updates on The Farmer Fund and the need and opportunity existing in this time:

Creating Resilient Local Food Systems

Strong consumer support for farm-raised meat is one good sign of hope for these farmers. But according to Alice Rolls, president of Georgia Organics, an organization that supports Georgia organic farmers, “it’s not going to replace lost revenues.”

Along with providing an online portal to products from regional farms and ranches, this organization led a coalition with seven other Georgia food organizations to sponsor The Farmer Fund. The COVID-19 emergency relief effort, originally created to provide economic relief after hurricanes and other natural disasters, now aims to provide direct contributions to farmers, along with farm-to-frontline support for community members in need. Meanwhile, the Chicago-based Food and Animal Concerns Trust launched a national $30,000 emergency mini-grant fund to help poultry and livestock producers capture the boom in online food sales.

“This is a point of opportunity for singing beyond the choir and getting more people and our political leaders to understand resilient communities rely on resilient food systems locally,” said Rolls.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Atlanta area farmers markets fight to stay open amid a COVID-19 crisis

By Rosalind Bentley

Across metro Atlanta, an early marker of spring is the opening of neighborhood farmers markets, their tables full of tender salad greens, eggs and fresh bread.

​But as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, small local farmers who sell at those markets are racing to find ways to stay afloat if those markets do not open in the coming weeks….

GPB News: Local Farmers Move Online To Stay In Business Amid Pandemic

By Blis Savidge

Farmer Ashley Rodgers grows vegetables on her organic farm in Douglasville, but in her 11 years farming she has rarely seen such uncertainty as restaurants closed their doors and farmers markets shut down to slow the spread of the coronavirus.