Strategic Roadmap for Kentucky Agriculture: 2025-2030
Develop agriculture’s partnerships in the food and health space.
Creating and strengthening partnerships between agriculture, food systems, health and nutrition professionals are essential to farmers' personal and economic health and core to improving the health outcomes of all Kentuckians. This strategy focuses on improving farmers’ access to physical and mental health services, coordination with healthcare systems and food programs to increase the use of Kentucky-grown products in addressing the commonwealth’s food insecurity and collaboration with “food as health” initiatives to enhance Kentucky-grown products’ nutrient quality and diversification for the betterment of Kentuckians’ health status and agricultural economics. —Marianne Smith Edge, Strategy Lead
View Updated Working Group Document (.docx)
Tactic 1: Farmer HealthAddress farmer physical and mental health through screenings and programming at ag meetings with bilingual support. Breakdown barriers for farmer health and normalize screenings for both mental and physical health. a. Stress management workshops and screenings, including the following topics:
b. Seek statewide funding to reduce the cost of mental health services in ag budgets. c. Help improve physical health:
When? Fall 2024 - 2025 and ongoing Where? KY State Fair, National Farm Machinery Show, State farmer conferences, Local and regional meetings and trade shows | Project Leads
Partners for Delivery
Collaborators Cooperative Extension, Local health dept., CARE Collaborative, KY Heart Disease & Stroke Program, KY Area Health Education Center regional coordinator, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Food in the Field |
Tactic 2: Food Insecurity CoordinationIdentify what programs are purchasing KY products and coordinate to increase purchases of KY products to impact more people living with food insecurity through state line-item funding. Connect those directly addressing food insecurity with state ag groups and processors committed to donating food. a. Create a comprehensive list of current programs addressing food security and identify gaps/barriers, e.g. infrastructure and data collection. b. Establish a bridge between all the entities and identify a coordinator. c. Ensure protection for local food donors, including existing regulations and GAP certification. d. Establish a coordinated method for restaurants and food service venues to distribute usable food. e. Ensure safe food distribution, especially for perishable products (e.g. refrigeration) at venues. When? 2025 and ongoing Where? Meals on Wheels, Schools/Family Resource Centers (FRYSC), KY Farm to School Network, Farm to hospital, Farm to institution, Farm to food banks, Local Food Assistance Program partners, Angela Caparelli (KDA) on certification | Project Leads
Partners for Delivery
Collaborators Glean KY in central KY, OAK Farm Share Coalition, SNAP dollars |
Tactic 3: Food and Health System DialogueFoster dialogue with healthcare partners around the broader food system and how Kentucky agriculture connects to it. a. Create a comprehensive inventory and best practices of food as health or food as medicine efforts throughout the state to understand programs, engage the different players, identify gaps, mechanism of referral, food distribution, and collaborate to avoid duplication. b. Identify and prioritize partner groups in public health space with which to communicate. c. Develop ways to share positive messaging about the importance of all types of Kentucky agriculture (e.g. address positive aspects of food technology and local food) and its contributions to the health of all Kentuckians. When? Fall 2025-2030 Where? Cooperative Extension, Media spokespeople/Ag Literacy Network, UK Ag Econ Coffee Chats | Project Leads
Partners for Delivery
Collaborators Workforce Development Working Group, Ag Coordination & Communication Working Group, Community of practice groups , Look at KY Food Action Network landscape analysis, Envirome –biometrics lab research, Cooperative Extension Community Needs Assessment, KY Proud, Black Soil |
Tactic 4: Food and Health ImplementationHelp farmers collaborate and coordinate with “Food as health” initiatives to improve nutrient quality, increase product diversification for the health of Kentuckians and agricultural economics. a. Improve farmer technical assistance on value chain, food safety, production, etc. b. Seek information on how vouchers or prescriptions be incorporated. Workplace CSA voucher, Fresh Rx, food as health in lifestyle medicine. c. Increase the use of local food as health in hospitals. d. Consider local food as employee health benefit (e.g. CSA, farmers markets vouchers). e. Connect local food in schools, daycare, education. When? November 2024 and ongoing Where? KY Dept. of Public Health SPAN & SHIP grants have goals to support and expand produce voucher/prescriptions (Allen County) The Food as Health Alliance at the University of Kentucky seeks to bring together clinical and community research spanning across agriculture, food, and health to address food insecurity and diet-sensitive chronic disease. Specifically, researchers, clinicians, community partners, food commodity partners, healthcare partners, and students will explore innovative strategies to improve patient clinical outcomes and the health of Kentuckians. | Project Leads
Partners for Delivery
Collaborators Supply Chain Working Group, CES Food as Health toolkit pilot, SNAP Education, EFNEP |