Local Foods, Local Places
The Local Foods, Local Places (LFLP) planning assistance program helps cities and town across the country engage with stakeholders to develop local food systems, preserve open space and farmland, revitalize Main Streets and downtowns, boost economic opportunities for farmers and businesses, and improve access to local and healthy foods, especially among disadvantaged populations.
Williamson, West Virginia used a health care center and local
foods to anchor downtown redevelopment efforts.
On other pages:
- EPA's Perspective Blog: Read the inspiring view of the LFLP program manager in his blog post, "For Local Communities, the Sky is the Limit."
- The Local Foods, Local Places Toolkit: Self-service instructions and templates for planning and hosting a community workshop.
- Smart Growth in Small Towns and Rural Communities: Additional information about how smart growth strategies can help rural places strengthen their economies, improve quality of life, and protect the environment and human health.
Background
The Local Foods, Local Places program launched in 2014 as a partnership between EPA, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). It was born out of the Livable Communities in Appalachia partnership, which was working to promote economic development, preserve rural lands, and increase access to locally grown food in Appalachian towns and rural communities.
Through the Local Foods, Local Places program, partner communities have worked on projects such as:
- Opening year-round, downtown markets featuring foods from local farmers.
- Planning cooperative grocery stores and other food access options to help revitalize small-town main streets.
- Creating centrally located community kitchens or food hubs to aggregate and market local foods.
- Starting business incubators to help entrepreneurs launch food-related businesses on main streets.
- Making it easier for people to walk or bicycle to farmers markets, food cooperatives, and local restaurants.
- Helping schoolchildren connect with nature by learning to grow their own food.
- Making healthy local food accessible to families, including via SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits.
- Developing community gardens in walkable, transit-accessible places.
Since its inception, EPA has partnered with multiple federal, state, regional, and local partners, delivering assistance to 142 communities.
Applying for Assistance
EPA and Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) recently closed an open call for applications for the 2024 round of Local Foods, Local Places. Separately, EPA's Superfund program will also support three pilot LFLP workshops in communities with Superfund sites in 2024.
If you have questions about the program or the application process, please read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
Partner Communities
To date, 142 communities have received Local Foods, Local Places planning assistance. These communities include small cities, towns, unincorporated communities, and Tribes. In previous rounds, special consideration was given to applicants in the early stages of developing local food enterprises and creating economically vibrant communities.
Community Stories
Visit our Examples of Smart Growth Communities and Projects page to find case studies, podcasts, videos, and photo essays about LFLP communities.
Local Foods, Local Places Summit
In 2017, EPA and its federal partners brought together representatives from 33 communities served to discuss their successes and challenges with different local food and community development approaches. This summary, Lessons from Community Leaders on Using Local Foods to Revitalize Downtowns, shares the experiences of the participating communities more broadly and is useful for LFLP communities not in attendance, as well as others interested in starting and maintaining local food and revitalization projects.
2024 Partner Communities
Local Foods, Local Places will work with six partner communities in 2024, in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission. This shared effort will develop local food systems to advance environmental protection, strengthen local economies and further sustainability goals. Three of the communities are also participating in an innovative new pilot program through EPA’s Superfund Redevelopment Program.
- The County of Braxton, West Virginia
- Turner Station in Baltimore, Maryland
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Spring City, Tennessee
- Ringgold, Georgia
- The City of Wellston, Ohio
2021 Partner Communities
Local Foods, Local Places worked with 13 partner communities in 2021. This program cycle was flexible and adaptive to communities' needs, as many were navigating issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Chattanooga, Tennessee (Crabtree Farms)
- Culebra, Puerto Rico (Mujeres de Islas)
- East St. Louis, Illinois (University of Illinois, Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, Danforth Plant Science Center)
- Fort Collins, Colorado (The Family Center/La Familia)
- Jefferson City, Missouri (Building Community Bridges)
- Jersey City, New Jersey (city of Jersey City)
- King County, Washington (Skyway Neighborhood)
- Las Vegas, Nevada (city of Las Vegas)
- New Bedford, Massachusetts (Southcoast Food Policy Council)
- Norfolk, Virginia (city of Norfolk)
- Sacramento, California (city of Sacramento)
- Tulsa, Oklahoma (Restoration Collective, Inc.)
- Wyandotte, Oklahoma (Wyandotte Nation)
Read the press release: EPA Commits to Helping 13 Communities Revitalize Neighborhoods by Developing Local Food Systems
2020 Partner Communities
Local Foods, Local Places worked with 16 partner communities in 2020:
- Cottage Grove, Oregon (city of Cottage Grove)
- Evansville, Indiana (city of Evansville)
- Fayette, Alabama (Fayette County Extension Office)
- Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (Redevelopment Authority of the City of Harrisburg)
- Johnstown, Pennsylvania (Vision Together 2025)
- Kansas City, Missouri (Mattie Rhodes Center)
- North Lake Charles, Louisiana (SWLA Center for Health Services)
- Opelousas, Louisiana (Opelousas General Health System Foundation)
- Pelican Rapids, Minnesota (West Central Initiative)
- Poughkeepsie, New York (Hudson River Housing, Inc.)
- Redding, California (Healthy Shasta)
- Salisbury, North Carolina (city of Salisbury)
- Springfield, Illinois (city of Springfield)
- Vicksburg, Mississippi (Shape Up Mississippi)
- Woonsocket, Rhode Island (NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley)
- York, Nebraska (York County Development Corporation)
Read the Summary Report on 2020 Communities describing the projects these communities will undertake.
2019 Partner Communities
Local Foods, Local Places worked with 15 partner communities in 2019:
- Aliquippa, Pennsylvania (City of Aliquippa Economic Development Corporation)
- Charlottesville, Virginia (Charlottesville Food Justice Network)
- Duluth, Minnesota (Ecolibrium3)
- Fort Pierce, Florida (city of Fort Pierce)
- Frankfort, Kentucky (city of Frankfort)
- Indianapolis, Indiana (Near East Area Renewal)
- Lewiston-Auburn, Maine (St. Mary’s Nutrition Center)
- Little Falls, Minnesota (Sprout MN)
- Malone, New York (Malone Chamber of Commerce)
- Mt. Pulaski, Illinois (Mt. Pulaski Economic Development and Planning Board)
- Peoria, Illinois (city of Peoria)
- Pulaski, Virginia (town of Pulaski)
- Russellville, Arkansas (city of Russellville)
- Saint Paul, Minnesota (Asian Economic Development Association)
- St. Albans City, Vermont (Northwest Healthy Roots Collaborative at Northwestern Medical Center)
Read the Summary Report on 2019 Communities describing the projects these communities will undertake.
2018 Partner Communities
Local Foods, Local Places worked with 16 partner communities in 2018:
- Anadarko, Oklahoma (Delaware Nation)
- Anchorage, Alaska (Alaska Food Policy Council)
- Biddeford, Maine (Engine)
- Cortland, New York (Seven Valleys Health Coalition)
- Duck Hill, Mississippi (Action Communication and Education Reform)
- Elba, Alabama (Restoration154/Foundation154)
- Farmington, New Mexico (New Mexico State University)
- Helena, Arkansas (Helena-West Helena/Phillips County Port Authority)
- Hindman, Kentucky (Hindman Settlement School)
- Hopewell, Virginia (Hopewell Downtown Partnership)
- Indiana, Pennsylvania (Sustainable Economic Development Task Force of Indiana County)
- Louisville, Kentucky (Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District)
- McCrory, Arkansas (city of McCrory)
- North Charleston, South Carolina (Lowcountry Alliance for Model Communities)
- Phoenix, Arizona (city of Phoenix)
- Silver City, New Mexico (The Volunteer Center of Grant County)
Learn more about the 2018 partner communities:
- Read the Update on 2018 Communities describing these projects.
- Read the Local Foods, Local Places Community Action Plans developed by the partner communities.
2017 Partner Communities
Local Foods, Local Places worked with 24 partner communities in 2017:
- Alamosa, Colorado (Local Foods Coalition)
- Albany, Kentucky (The Clinton County Cooperative Extension Service)
- Albuquerque, New Mexico (DowntownABQ MainStreet Initiative)
- Appleton City, Missouri (West Central Missouri Community Action Agency)
- Bridgeport, Connecticut (Bridgeport Food Policy Council)
- Cincinnati, Ohio (Working in Neighborhoods)
- Coamo, Puerto Rico (municipality of Coamo)
- Detroit, Michigan (Detroit Public Schools)
- Graham, North Carolina (city of Graham)
- Greenwich, New York (Village of Greenwich)
- Harlan, Kentucky (Mountain Comprehensive Health Organization)
- Henderson, North Carolina (Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission)
- Holyoke, Massachusetts (Nuestras Raices)
- Hopkinsville, Kentucky (Christian County/Hopkinsville Development Corporation)
- Humboldt, Tennessee (Humboldt Chamber of Commerce)
- Jamestown, New York (Jamestown Renaissance Corporation)
- Lapwai, Idaho (Nez Perce Tribe)
- Martinsville, Virginia (city of Martinsville)
- McComb, Ohio (McComb Economic Development Organization)
- Nampa, Idaho (city of Nampa)
- Nogales, Arizona (Mariposa Community Health Center)
- Tallulah, Louisiana (Louisiana State University Agricultural Center)
- Ukiah, California (North Coast Opportunities)
- Whitesville, West Virginia (West Virginia Community Development Hub)
- Read the Update on 2017 Communities describing these projects.
- Read the Local Foods, Local Places Community Action Plans developed by the partner communities.
2016 Partner Communities
Local Foods, Local Places worked with 27 partner communities in 2016:
- Baltimore, Maryland (Baltimore Public Markets Corporation)
- Bessemer, Alabama (city of Bessemer)
- Christiansburg, Virginia (city of Christiansburg)
- Connellsville, Pennsylvania (The Redevelopment Authority)
- Crisfield, Maryland (Somos Inc.)
- Dallas, Texas (city of Dallas)
- Denver, Colorado (city and county of Denver Office of Economic Development)
- Fresno, California (city of Fresno)
- Gainesville, Missouri (Ozark County Homegrown Food Projects)
- Gary, Indiana (city of Gary)
- Gloucester, Massachusetts (city of Gloucester)
- Greeley, Colorado (University of Northern Colorado)
- Henderson, Nevada (city of Henderson)
- High Point, North Carolina (city of High Point)
- Honolulu, Hawaii (Hawaii Community Development Authority)
- Jackson, Tennessee (city of Jackson)
- Keeseville, New York (Adirondack North County Association)
- Lake Village, Arkansas (city of Lake Village)
- Martin, Tennessee (city of Martin)
- Memphis, Tennessee (Cooper-Young Community Farmers Market)
- Middlesboro, Kentucky (Discover Downtown Middlesboro, Inc.)
- Mission, South Dakota (Rosebud Economic Development Corporation of the Sioux Tribe)
- Palmer, Alaska (Grow Palmer)
- Passaic, New Jersey (city of Passaic)
- Rainelle, West Virginia (The Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation)
- Walterboro, South Carolina (The Colleton Museum and Farmers Market)
- Winder, Georgia (Winder Housing Authority)
- Read the Update on 2016 Partner Communities describing these projects.
- Read the Local Foods, Local Places Community Action Plans developed by the partner communities.
2015 Partner Communities
Local Foods, Local Places worked with 26 partner communities in 2015:
- Ajo, Arizona (Ajo Regional Food Partnership)
- Allentown, Pennsylvania (The Rodale Institute)
- Barbourville, Kentucky (city of Barbourville)
- Canton, New York (village of Canton)
- Clarksdale, Mississippi (Griot Arts Inc.)
- Fallon, Nevada (Churchill Economic Development Authority)
- Flippin, Arkansas (city of Flippin)
- Forest County, Pennsylvania
- Hazard, Kentucky (The Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky)
- Idabel, Oklahoma (The Choctaw Nation)
- Itta Bena, Mississippi (multiple partners)
- Jefferson City, Missouri (Downtown Jefferson City, Inc.)
- Lafayette, Louisiana (Lafayette Consolidated Government)
- Los Angeles, California (Youth Policy Institute)
- Loyal, Wisconsin (West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission)
- New Orleans, Louisiana (The Friends of Lafitte Corridor)
- North Little Rock, Arkansas (Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub)
- Osceola, Arkansas (city of Osceola)
- Rocky Mount, North Carolina (city of Rocky Mount)
- Tracy City, Tennessee (municipality of Tracy City)
- Tuskegee, Alabama (multiple partners)
- Unity, Maine (town of Unity)
- Vinton, Texas (village of Vinton)
- Wheeling, West Virginia (Grow Ohio Valley)
- Williamson, West Virginia (Williamson Health and Wellness Center)
- Youngstown, Ohio (Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation)
- Read the Summary Report on 2015 Partner Communities to learn more about these projects.
- Read the Local Foods, Local Places Community Action Plans developed by the partner communities.