STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

The Sun Valley Institute for Resilience has received a grant designed to help it increase the amount of food purchased locally from regional farmers and ranchers.

The $100,000 USDA Agricultural Marketing Service grant will enable the Sun Valley Institute to create a local purchasing policy guide and provide grower-buyer matchmaking services.

“We will work one on one with interested businesses and organizations to design a commitment or policy that addresses their unique needs--available resources, values, etc.,” said Amy Rose Mattias, the Institute’s executive director. “Through dialogue, we will determine what food is currently being purchased, from where and how often, what budget and staff constraints exist, and what business or organizational values are correlated to local food systems.”

For instance, Mattias said, the Institute might work with a caterer to ensure that 50 percent of each plate served at a fundraising dinner is locally sourced or that they spend up to $10,000 per event on food from local sources.

It might work with a restaurant to ensure that they source a certain percentage of their foodstuffs from regional producers or a set dollar value of total food purchased per year. Or they might counsel the restaurant on how to make a commitment to purchase all their flour from a local flour producer.

Those making commitments must provide an annual report to verify that they’ve fulfilled their commitments. Or, they must identify shortfalls and opportunities for fulfilling the commitment the following year.

The Sun Valley Institute will create a local purchasing policy guide and provide grower-buyer matchmaking services. Staff will also feature profiles and stories from restaurants and organization who have adopted local food purchasing policies in its Wood River Valley’s Locally Grown Guide.

“Local food purchasing commitments lead to economic stability for farmers and increased access to local food for consumers,” said Mattias

Making consumers award of the commitments is a key part of the deal, said Mike Gordon, communications manager for the Sun Valley Institute for Resilience. “Signing a local food purchasing agreement is a big deal and the Locally Grown Guide is the perfect place to celebrate the businesses and organizations that are stepping up to support locally grown food. We’ll do everything we can to make sure that every resident and visitor knows about their commitments.” 

The grant is part of more than $32 million the USDA is giving to 98 grant projects to expand and strengthen local and regional food systems and increase the availability of locally grown agricultural products.