Economic impact from Northwest Agriculture Market Connections Program: An oral history

Abstract

Is it profitable for a farmer or fisher to market his/her food directly to restaurants? Is it feasible for a restaurant to buy directly from local farmers and fishermen? In an increasingly globalized food economy, localized efforts to restore the vital connection between those who grow and harvest our food and those who prepare or present it continue to gain steam. Nowhere is the trend more evident than at the Farmer–Chef Connection and Fisherman Chef-Connection conferences in the Pacific Northwest. Created in 2001 by Ecotrust and the Portland Chapter of the Chefs Collaborative, the first Farmer–Chef Connection conference attracted 42 farmers, 26 food buyers. In 2004, the conference attracted over 225 attendees. The Fisherman–Chef Connection is much smaller, but interest is growing. By building the necessary infrastructure for direct marketing of locally grown food and responsibly caught seafood, food buyers, farmers and fishermen work in partnership to provide a high-quality product that not only tastes good, but aims to maintain the region's cultural identity. An oral history project has been conducted by Oregon State University's Experiment Station, Food Innovation Center in partnership with Ecotrust Food and Farms program under new leadership. Areas of concentration pertain to annual conference attendance, use of the Guide to Local & Seasonal Products to buy and sell locally grown food, and stories and individual philosophies about growing a strong, regional food system in the Northwest United States.