Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Non-Technical Summary (8000 ch or less): Lumbee Land Development, Inc. is establishing a Food and Nutrition Innovation Hub ("Hub") in the future that requires prior expansion of food safety education and outreach programs for farmers and food entrepreneur's, a specialized audience. The Hub will increase profitability of the food businesses. The newly established Lumbee Department of Agriculture and Natural Resource Department will build capacity to further develop food safety education and outreach programs for culturally appropriate crops and minimally processed foods for future Hub tenants. The services will expand on existing food safety education programs addressing the immediate needs of small-scale specialized audiences with a focus on limited-resource farmers and food processors. This community outreach project aims to build a vertically integrated food safety education and outreach system revisioning advanced career opportunities while providing the support our farmers and food processors need to grow a viable and scalable business. The FSOP project will allow the Lumbee Tribe to meet the needs of the expanded audience through interconnecting existing food system elements identifying synergies from farm to institution: educators, students, farmers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, food service providers, marketers, and consumers.The project will allow the Lumbee Tribe to provide education opportunities to broaden the knowledge and commitment to food safety and FSMA compliance by:1) Building capacity for ensuring a safe food system;2) Providing workshops and technical assistance to transitioning farmers and food entrepreneurs (FSP/GMP); and3) Implementing the Lumbee GAP/GMP Program. Ultimate goals, societal benefits,
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Goals and ObjectivesThe overall program goal of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina's (LTNC) Agriculture and Natural Resources Department ("Department") is to build a sustainable local and systematic infrastructure in its tribal territory to address food systems, food insecurity, and public health. The Department's mission is to "strengthen our farming communities by advocating for Lumbee agricultural opportunities and promoting tribal sovereignty." The Department program objectives include supporting model projects that expand the availability of locally-produced and healthy foods in Native communities and beyond experiencing food insecurity, food deserts, diet-related diseases, obesity, and preterm births common among Lumbee mothers. Food safety is a primary concern among these populations, aligning with the FSOP proposal.LTNC established the Lumbee Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources in 2022 with one of several missions to provide technical assistance and infrastructure to local food producers and entrepreneurs to support short food supply chain efforts within Robeson County and the surrounding area. These efforts led to establishing a member-owned entity, the Lumbee Farmer Cooperative, which works together on food safety, crop planning, and marketing utilizing shared equipment among the members. The Department has continued these efforts with a deeper focus on addressing food access, protection, preservation, and sovereignty among Native Americans and other members of their community who are elderly, socially disadvantaged, and underserved through the Food Sovereignty Initiative. These efforts are based on research suggesting that incorporatinglocal foods into feeding programs would increase access to fresh foods, improve variety, and help foodslast longer. Additionally, research showed that self-administration of nutrition programs, including engagement of Tribal sovereignty, increased the ability to target community members in need, control and flexibility over nutritional quality of food, and ability to offer culturally relevant programming.1The FSOP funding will allow us to continue working on our most challenging issue, food safety, and minimize the risk of food recalls within the food system we are building. We aim to shorten the food supply chain, generate jobs, and create a more coordinated and efficient vertically integrated food system by establishing trust and needed food safety competencies. This FSOP funding will allow for the Lumbee Department of Agriculture & Natural Resources to expand its food safety capacity and provide specialized food safety assistance to an extended audience of producers seeking to implement a food safety plan, increase recordkeeping capabilities, and become FSMA compliant, and producers and cottage food entrepreneur tenants of the Food & Nutrition Innovation Hub and community food distributors.We will:Objective 1: Improve the food safety and protection of six (6) community-engaged feeding programs.· Develop the Food Safety for Community Foods Train-the-Trainer (TTT) Manual.· Engage six (6) non-profits in participating in TTT food safety and traceability education.· Deliver two (2) TTT sessions (1/year).Objective 2: Provide eighty (80) farmers with culturally appropriate, commodity-specific post-harvest handling physiology, Good Manufacturing Practices, and FSMA Preventive Controls Compliance training to transition from on-farmto facility handling. This training will be a mandatory requirement for participation in the Lumbee GAP Program.· Develop the Commodity-Specific Guide to Food Safety & Quality Manual for Post-Harvest Operations.· Deliver four (4) trainings utilizing the developed curriculum (2/year).Objective 3: Provide technical assistance to fifty (50) farmers seeking Lumbee GAP Certification. Fifty (50) farmers will gain access to the Provision Food Safety Platform.· Assist in developing and implementing the Food Safety Management System.· Assist in implementing the Provision Food Safety Platform to increase traceability.Objective 4: Provide technical assistance to six (6) food hubs and one (1) farmer cooperative on Lumbee GAP certification, FSMA regulations, and traceability requirements of Lumbee GAP during Hub-to-Hub trade.· Assist with upgrading food safety programs to meet the Lumbee GAP requirements and SMA Preventive Controls and GMP compliance.· Assist in implementing the Provision Food Safety Platform (or analternative) with food hub partners to increase traceability.Objective 5: Determine food safety professional needs and communicate information to local universities and technical colleges for potential certificate or degree offerings geared towards increasing capacity in food safety.Short-Term Impacts (Goals):· Community food partners increase their understanding of proper food safety handling.· Farmers and food entrepreneurs receive training and technical assistance in four program areas: 1) Post-harvest handling and produce specifications, 2) Good Agricultural Practice/ FSMA Produce Safety Rule, 3) Good Manufacturing Practices/ FSMA Preventive Controls, and 4) Digital Recordkeeping.· Food hubs and farmer cooperatives receive technical assistance to increase product traceability, comply with FSMA regulations, and benefit from 2nd-party Food Safety Verification Audits.Long-Term Impacts (Goals):· Food hubs and farmer cooperatives receive training and assistance in obtaining food safety certification, complying with FSMA regulations, and implementing business models specific to their operation, ensuring long-term success.· Community food agencies will improve product quality, safety, and traceability and increase local food offerings.· Farmers and food entrepreneurs are better prepared to scale up production supplying to the Hub.· Increase of food safety professionals.The Food Sovereignty InitiativeThe Food Sovereignty Initiative is a significant picture focus encompassing the protection of the environment, human health, and economic viability of the food system that feeds our people. The most critical gap that has been identified is providing adequate food safety support to the community required to establish a food safety culture and deliver advanced education and technical support to farmers and food entrepreneurs that will contribute to the future initiative as tenants at the LTNC Food & Nutrition Innovation Hub ("Hub") that will house: 1) The Lumbee Health and Human Services; 2) The Lumbee Agriculture & Natural Resource Department; 3) The Lumbee Farmer's Cooperative Food Hub; 4) The Food Processing Center (fresh-cut, IQF, freeze-dried and dehydrated produce); 5) The Events Center; 6) The Commercial Kitchen; and 7) The Grab-N-Go Market. The future Hub will provide an affordable workspace and individualized technical assistance to small food businesses, taking a holistic view of community development by offering an equitable community space where everyone feels like they belong and their needs matter. We realize the importance of food safety education among all local food supply chain sectors.1 Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: The Historical Determinants of Food Insecurity in Native Communities (published October 4, 2022. Available at https://www/cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/the-historical-determinants-of-food-unsecurity-in-native-communities.
Project Methods
Methods:We will significantly depart from previous methods to encourage the Lumbee farmers to become GAP certified. There have been education efforts in the past. However, the Lumbeefarmers need to be more trusting of external entity assistance. This is why we are committed to the success of this projectbysecuring personnel by the end of this project who will be of the Lumbee Nation to continue working with farmers, ensuring ongoing certifications. If an individual of the Lumbee Nation is not identified, the Tribal Council will be notified and approved seeking to hire a non-Lumbee Tribal Member. Project results will be disseminated by staff of the Lumbee Agriculture & Natural Resources and Health and Human Services Departments. We will utilize annual surveys to gather data and conduct pre- and post-workshop surveys to determine increased knowledge. The FSOP project success stories will be published in LTNC electronic newsletters and social media accounts. Additionally, we will maintain ongoing relationships with regional and national stakeholders, including other Native Nations, by participating in conferences and meetings to share the positive and negative results of the vertical integration model for food safety. We will provide regular updates on the project's implementation, outcomes, and surveys to the FDA Southern Center.Table 1: Data Management and Evaluation Plan (See Attachments for Expanded PlanData to Be Collected Understanding/ Validation/ AnalysisIncreased # of Cooperative Members Membership RegistrationIncreased Number of Lumbee GAP Certified Farms. Survey and Data CollectionIncreased Number of wholesale food businesses. Survey, Membership Registration, Facility Lease Data, when applicable # of Stakeholders Reached (Education and Outreach) Survey and Data Collection# of Institutions increasing Local Food Supply through the Hub. (lbs.) Sales RecordsConfirm curriculum needs for increasing food safety professional capacity Meeting Notes; Annual Survey# of Farms and Food Processors implementing IT Subscription Data; Evaluationssolutions for food safety document control and traceability.# of Wholesale buyers gained and increased volume sales (lbs.) Sales Records; Annual Survey# of Non-profit food providers increasing local food supply (lbs.). Sales Records; Annual Survey