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23 <br /> 1 Slide #10 <br /> 2 <br /> 5 P <br /> 6 Q State of <br /> 7 ',rood Insecurity <br /> 8 L During the <br /> 9 Covid 19 Pandemic a 4► <br /> 10 Z4 <br /> 11 <br /> 12 . � <br /> 13 Ask* <br /> 14 <br /> 15 Commissioner Dorosin asked if the mission or goal of this think tank/advisory board <br /> 16 could be identified. <br /> 17 Ashley Heger said the goal would be to advise the Food Council on how Orange County, <br /> 18 through local government, can create a more racially just and accessible agricultural <br /> 19 community, which may be achieved through land use policy, capacity building on the ground <br /> 20 with Black farmers, having additional caucus opportunities, etc. She said those working in this <br /> 21 think tank will provide valuable expertise, and it is hoped that there will be a long-term <br /> 22 relationship. <br /> 23 Commissioner Price said she is a little concerned about this think tank, as Black farmers <br /> 24 have been expressing ideas and thoughts for years, to no avail. She said issues are well <br /> 25 known, and she is not sure that a think tank is needed, as far as access for Black farmers to <br /> 26 participate in the market. She said she appreciates the intent, but is a little cautious about the <br /> 27 charge/mission of the group. She said solutions are needed, as the questions are already <br /> 28 known. <br /> 29 Ashley Heger said the issues are known, but the capacity is not in place to give Black <br /> 30 farmers access. She said the goal is to have farmers who have succeeded to share how they <br /> 31 did so with those who need to build capacity. She said all can learn from this process. <br /> 32 Commissioner Price said an example would be how does a Black farmer get his/her <br /> 33 produce in Wegman's. She said the farmers often have all the knowledge, but simply cannot <br /> 34 gain access, due to the color of their skin. <br /> 35 Ashley Heger said the Food Council hopes to provide resources to level the playing field, <br /> 36 and leverage relationships that have been built over the past few years. She said the goal is to <br /> 37 have Black farmers lead this effort, as opposed to the Food Council telling them what to do. <br /> 38 Chair Rich said it is a great idea, and the more people can be brought together the more <br /> 39 ideas will be created. She said she looks forward to a future report on this item. <br /> 40 Ashley Heger said other food councils are doing this work around the country, and <br /> 41 Orange County wants to bring those best practices here. <br /> 42 Commissioner Greene referred to the food distribution system breakdown at the <br /> 43 beginning of Covid, and said CSAs were suddenly booming. She said she would like to hear <br /> 44 the big vision of how to make it possible for Orange County to be more self-reliant on local <br /> 45 produce, as opposed to relying on produce from around the country. <br /> 46 Ashley Heger said one cannot grow everything in Orange County, but NC State is a <br /> 47 wonderful resource, and there is a lot of work being done to allow local food to serve the local <br /> 48 community. She said there are also discussions underway about how to bring certain foods <br /> 49 back to Orange County, such as dairy, in a meaningful way. She said Covid has provided a <br /> 50 sense of urgency to these issues, and other crises will arise in the future. She said many <br />