The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has awarded Value Added and Regional Food System Grants to nine projects throughout the state. Rainbow Packing Inc. of Escanaba, the region’s only USDA-inspected slaughter and processing facility, was awarded $100,000, which will go towards expanding their facility to keep pace with meat processing needs in the...

An exploratory interview with Shayna Cohen, Sr. Consultant at KK&P, has been integrated into the curriculum for a graduate level planning course titled “Planning Practice & History” at Cornell University. The interview and resulting paper focus on Shayna and KK&Ps work to develop a wholesale farmer’s market in New York City featuring growers from NY...

Agriculture and food entrepreneurship have great potential to drive placemaking and create destinations for tourists and local residents, whether in small towns or major urban centers. By developing bespoke concepts and responsive strategies to reconnect a place to its food and agricultural economies, we help communities capitalize on the potential of their regional assets and...

Increasing the use of sustainable practices and scaling production are long-range goals for regional meat networks. Livestock producers and processors encounter challenges meeting the growing demand from consumers for higher-quality meat. KK&P’s meat industry-related projects focus on leveraging existing assets and increasing opportunities for small farmers to grow into their regional demand and accomplish goals...

The interconnection between Food & Health continues to be brought to the forefront of public discourse. Leaders from various fields are more motivated than ever to collaborate to strengthen the bond between good food and good health, resulting in improved health outcomes and quality of life, and meeting general consumer demands for healthier, more sustainably...

“I imagine a day when we don’t have to state the obvious interconnection between food and health — that it just is.” The above statement was made by a participant at our November 2016 “Future of Food and Health” Salon, and catalyzed nearly four hours of discussion about innovation and interconnection to advance the vision...

Thundermist Health Center of Rhode Island challenged Karen Karp & Partners (KK&P) to develop a comprehensive strategy to transform Woonsocket’s food system. Thundermist is a progressive, federally qualified health center, with many partners in the Woonsocket community. KK&Ps project would be intended to complement the state Department of Health’s “health equity” mission: to implement place-based...

In 2013, Book & Plow Farm became resident at Amherst College, providing for sales of locally-grown produce to dining services. Additionally, the farm offered a pick-your-own farm for the campus community and a variety of educational programs for both the campus and surrounding area. The farm grew rapidly, and now has over 40 acres in...

Hands on Hartford, a CT-based social services non-profit, recently moved into a new building that had once housed a restaurant. As an organization focused on, among other things, hunger relief and food oriented services, they wanted to explore how to leverage the kitchen and cafe space to support their mission to “change lives and renew...

SUNY Adirondack, a public college in upstate NY that serves Washington, Saratoga and Warren counties, asked KK&P to explore food and agriculture educational opportunities in a goal to expand its reach in Washington County. After interviewing area stakeholders in the fields of agriculture, food and education, KK&P suggested the development of a new Center for...

The Northern California Community Loan Fund (NCCLF) has received a $2 million Financial Assistance (FA) award and a $3 million Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) award. These were awarded by The Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund of the U.S. Treasury. The HFFI award was spearheaded, in part, by research completed by KK&P that provided...

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo launched the New York State Grown & Certified program and announced a new $20 million food hub in the Bronx to increase access to farm-fresh produce. Karen Karp & Partners helped spearhead this initiative, working as facilitators of the Governor’s 2015 NYS-NYC Regional Food Hubs Task Force. Governor Cuomo’s commitment is...