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Calling all local farmers!

The fourth edition of the East Kootenay Local Food Guide will be produced this spring.
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The fourth edition of the East Kootenay Local Food Guide will be produced this spring.

The fourth edition of the East Kootenay Local Food Guide will be produced this spring. The guide aims to be a complete list of local food producers from Creston to Golden to Fernie, making it easier for people to locate and enjoy a wider variety of food produced locally.

As a non-profit initiative, there is no cost to food producers for inclusion in the guide. Updated and new information is welcomed until February 20. While connecting more people to local food, the guide helps increase the viability of producing local food and in the long term hopes to encourage more producers to start up. The only rule for being included is a direct connection to the food you are producing, including farms, ranches, and value added food products such as preserves or bread products.

There has been an inspiring increase in locally produced food in recent years, evident in the need for an update to the guide, along with increased interest by the public to support local food. If you are or know of a producer who is new or wasn’t included in the original guide, this is a good opportunity for advertising your operation at no cost.

The District of Invermere is sponsoring this project as part of their Integrated Community Sustainability Plan (ICSP), called Imagine Invermere 2030, (II 2030).  The Imagine Invermere 2030 Implementation Team selected an update to the East Kootenay Food Guide as one of their community sustainability initiatives for 2014.  More information about the II 2030 Sustainability Plan, and how you can get involved, can be found at http://imagineinvermere.ca/.

The Cranbrook Food Action Committee, Creston Valley Food Action Coalition, Groundswell Network, and Slow Food Columbia Valley have collaborated on this joint venture since its inception. The area covered by the guide is expanding this year north to Golden, with thanks to the work of the MLA office of Norm MacDonald.

If you haven’t seen the East Kootenay Local Food Guide before, the last edition of the guide can be found digitally at cranbrookfoodaction.com, under the ‘local food guide’ link. Watch for the new edition in paper form at farmer’s markets and within your community this spring and summer 2014!

If you are a producer interested in being listed in the guide, please contact Shannon before February 20 at 250-427-7981 or shannongreyduncan@gmail.com.