From: Wallace Center at Winrock International <cbhead@winrock. org>
Date: Feb 15, 2008 12:33 PM
Subject: Gates and Kellogg Foundations Join Forces in Support of Local Food Enterprises
To: sasco1900@gmail. com
Gates and Kellogg Foundations Join Forces in Support of Local Food Enterprises
Contact:
Cari Beth Head, CBHead@winrock. org or 703 525 9430 ext. 674
Communications Manager for the Community Food Enterprise Initiative at Wallace Center
This is the only
e-mail you will be receiving regarding this project. If you would like to receive updates on the Community Food Enterprise project, please sign up for our project updates.
ARLINGTON, Virginia (February 15, 2008) – In a joint funding venture between the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Wallace Center at Winrock International, in partnership with the Training & Development Corporation (TDC), has launched a $400,000 project showcasing locally-owned food enterprises from around the globe.
Leading the effort to document successful strategies for small- and medium-scale community-based enterprises are John Fisk, director of the
Wallace Center, and Michael Shuman, author and vice president for enterprise development at TDC.
The project, Community Food Enterprise: Local Success in a Global Marketplace, builds on evidence worldwide that local ownership is a fundamental building block for long-term prosperity—and that market shifts in favor of local food offer small farmers and other entrepreneurs a promising new path to economic security. Project highlights include a practitioner' s guide featuring 24 case studies of successful locally-owned food enterprises, as well as an online resource center for community development through locally owned food enterprises. A DC-area launch event is also scheduled for Fall 2008.
Community Food Enterprise will combine the Wallace Center's expertise in the field of triple-bottom- line agriculture, where success is based on environmental, social and financial performance- -with Mr. Shuman's field-leading research on locally-based economic
development. Mr. Shuman, the project's primary analyst, is the author of a number of respected books on the subject, including Going Local: Creating Self-Reliant Communities in a Global Age and The Small-Mart Revolution.
And as Dr. Fisk explains, "Local ownership and local food, together, offer communities significant opportunities for building a sustainable future, one that operates on a triple bottom line of social, environmental, and economic benefits."
A growing body of literature highlights the importance of local ownership for economic development. Compared to non-local businesses, locally-owned enterprises generally produce more community wealth by spending more money at home, build stability by staying put for the long term, contribute to rising labor and environmental standards by adapting to new expectations more readily, and foster greater community resilience by reinforcing political participation and entrepreneurship. Community Food
Enterprise will be a key tool in helping practitioners build and strengthen local food enterprises.
"We are pleased to be partnering with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation on this project, which will provide practical lessons and models of what it takes to build locally-owned, vibrant and viable food systems that reach and work for the smallholder farmer, not just in the US, but also in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. This work will provide a mechanism to share experiences and test new ideas," said Melissa Ho, Associate Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is supporting this work as part of its Food and Society initiative. The initiative is focused on supporting thoughtful interaction with the global food system to ensure that it provides all segments of society a safe,
affordable, nutritious, and fair food supply.
"When locally-owned food enterprises produce food that is healthy, green, fair, and affordable, they are embodying what we call 'good food'," says Kellogg Foundation Program Director Ricardo Salvador, "and we're pleased to be working with the Gates Foundation to highlight the ways in which 'good food' can positively impact our society's most vulnerable members."
Community Food Enterprise will help move communities toward that 'good food' future by offering strategies that market forces support, while providing positive social and environmental outcomes for communities.
According to Dr. Fisk, "This project will find the best examples of community owned food enterprises worldwide and analyze why they work and how others can make them work."
To learn more about Community Food Enterprise, or to sign up for project updates, please contact Cari Beth Head, Communications Manager for Community Food
Enterprise at Wallace Center: CBHead@winrock. org or 703-525-9430 ext. 674.
You may also visit the project website: Community Food Enterprise
Wallace Center Logo - link to website
Wallace Center at Winrock International was established in 1983 to increase opportunities for small and mid-size agriculture through sustainability. Today the Center's research, policy analysis, educational outreach, and leadership development is focused on market-based strategies for sustainable food systems; that is, food production, processing, and marketing that
builds social, environmental, and economic health. Winrock International is a nonprofit organization, with main offices in Little Rock, AR and Arlington, VA, which works with people in the United States and around the world to increase economic opportunity, sustain natural resources, and protect the environment.
Training & Development Corporation Logo - link to website
Training & Development Corporation (TDC) is a national not-for-profit think tank, design shop, and management company founded in 1975 to improve the performance of people
and institutions in the economy. TDC's work is animated by two ideas: sustainable employability and global community capitalism. It designs innovative solutions to the problems individuals, families, and communities face as they pursue economic well-being. TDC designs are tested in action every day in urban and rural settings, among people of a wide range of ages, performance capabilities, in residential and non-residential environments, here and abroad.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based
in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Patty Stonesifer and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930 "to help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations. " To achieve the greatest impact, the Foundation targets its grants toward specific areas. These include: health; food systems and rural development; youth and education; and philanthropy and volunteerism. Within these areas, attention is given to exploring learning opportunities in leadership; information and communication
technology; capitalizing on diversity; and social and economic community development.
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©The Wallace Center, 2008
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