NC 10% Campaign
Farm to University
Our Farm to University program was a multi-faceted project aimed at increasing local food consumption and access on University campuses state-wide. The effort was made up of our Local Food Ambassador program, UFoods program, and the efforts of extension agents and University food service managers across the state.
During the course of the program, 20 universities in the state have committed to purchasing 10% of their food spend on local products. This is thanks to the efforts of our Local Food Ambassadors, county extension agents, and the NC 10% Campaign team.
Learn more about our University programming below.
For practitioners interested in supporting Farm to University program, check out this guide prepared for Cooperative Extension agents.
Local Food Ambassadors
The Local Food Ambassador (LFA) Program was designed to promote local foods on university and college campuses. The program provided training for students to more deeply engage with the food system. Local Food programming at universities encourages strong, resilient, local food systems; supports healthy lifestyles; builds economies and creates jobs; connects communities; increases food security and access; and supports sustainable farming practices.
Program Goals
Encourage local foods education and outreach on university campuses
Engage the student body through events and media promotion
Support local foods in alignment with the campus sustainability mission
Provide resources for food service organizations
Connect teams of university, farmer, and community advocates
Mentor future leaders in understanding community-based food systems
Partner Schools
Elizabeth City State University
Fayetteville State University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
North Carolina Central University
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Winston Salem State University
These six schools are publicly-funded Historically Black or American Indian Institutions that are part of the of University of North Carolina School System. These schools were chosen intentionally to:
Center the NC 10% Campaign’s university-based local foods work in communities that are adversely affected by inequities in the food system
Connect with and magnify existing community-based programs that support resilience to these structural inequities
Support a more inclusive and equitable approach to engaging students to become future food system leaders committed to food access for all
Impact
From 2016 to 2019, 30 young people from partner universities served as Local Food Ambassadors. Their work increased their school's awareness of local foods and connected students to the importance of eating locally. In addition, these students gained significant experience in the local food industry, preparing them for their professional journey. Click here to view the Local Food Ambassador Manual.
30
local food ambassadors
Meet Josie Walker, former Local Food Ambassador
Josie Walker is a native of eastern North Carolina and has a passion for agriculture, self-sufficiency, and connecting people.
Meet Ashland Tann, former Local Food Ambassador
Ashland Tann served as a Local Food Ambassador at Elizabeth City State University with a passion for cooking and food.
Support for the Local Food Ambassadors was provided by the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation and Southern Sustainable Agriculture, Research and Education Program.
UFoods
UFoods (University Food Systems) was a USDA-funded research and outreach project of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) and the NC 10% Campaign to research and develop new market opportunities for small and mid-scale local farmers by building collaborative supply chain links from farms to university campuses. This project was funded 2016-2018.
Partner Schools
Elizabeth City State University
Fayetteville State University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
North Carolina Central University
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Winston Salem State University
Project Collaborators
Rebecca Dunning
Research Assistant Professor
Social and Economic Research and Evaluation
Center for Environmental Farming Systems
North Carolina State University​
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Jewel Jones
Public Communications Coordinator
NC 10% Campaign/UFoods
North Carolina State University
Lauren Davis
Associate Professor
Dept. of Industrial & Systems Engineering
North Carolina A&T State University​
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Josie Walker
Farmer Research and Outreach Coordinator
NC 10% Campaign/UFoods
North Carolina A&T State University
Impact
UFoods programming led to increases in local food demand and procurement at partner schools, which included 20 universities by the end of the program. Explore the UFoods How it Works Handbook to learn about how the UFoods team made an impact across the state.
20
universities
commited to 10% local food spend
The UFoods How It Works Handbook: A Guide to University Food Systems & Local Food Programs is designed to showcase some of the local food initiatives of our UFoods partner schools.
Farm to Dorm Recipes
NC 10% Campaign and UFoods teamed up with GeoCore Films to produce a series of dorm cooking videos based on local food recipes that are accessible to college students. The goal was to work with students to create engagement tools useful in campus-based local food programming and also to train students in video planning and production. Students were featured in the videos cooking healthy, local foods in a dorm room setting using minimal supplies. Geocore trained students in concept development, script creation, and visual/graphic/prop production.
