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.