Awardee
Project
Working Farmland Partnership (WFP)
Description
The Working Farmland Partnership (WFP) is a formal collaboration among agriculture‐focused agencies working to establish a comprehensive farmland access program for King County. In 2018, core work involved designing the systems and partnership structure to support the collaborative model. In 2019, core work includes helping landowners ready underutilized farmland for production, supporting new and beginning farmers in their unique journeys to establish/expand successful farm businesses, facilitating lasting matches, and developing a business plan to support the partnership at scale for the long term. WFP entities work closely with participants to understand unique barriers to advancing goals and making matches. They assemble project teams offering tailored technical assistance, training, and access to cost‐sharing resources to support participants and move matches forward.
In 2020, in addition to continuing the work of supporting participants toward the ultimate goal of facilitating matches to bring more land into production, the WFP will implement recommendations of the business plan currently in development for scalable, sustainable expansion. Also, this work will advance development of two additional strategies necessary to facilitate long‐term success of the comprehensive land access program: a replicable, alternative land tenure model, and a new framework for succession planning.
Senior Manager, Regional Food System Program
O: 425-282-1958 – C: 425-529-4801
Mary coordinates the KCD Regional Food System Program, including Strategic Initiatives and Food System Grants, with the goals of making an enduring contribution toward strengthening King County’s food economy.