The Local Food Initiative is for every resident of King County – from eaters to farmers to truck drivers, from urban, rural, and suburban areas. The LFI guides policy and funding to shape the future of the food that is grown and enjoyed here.
First developed in 2015 by Executive Dow Constantine to expand our local food economy and benefit King County food businesses and farms, while improving access to healthy, affordable food in low-income communities, the LFI is receiving its first update.
A lot has changed over the past decade, and King County and King Conservation District want to hear from you about what these changes have been like! The LFI works primarily in tandem with King Conservation District’s Regional Food System program that supports many local food system projects through grant funding, including the annual competitive grant program.
The LFI has also supported impactful projects, such as providing land for immigrant and refugee farmers at Horseneck Farm and developing food processing and distribution infrastructure at the South Seattle Community Food Hub.
King County and King Conservation District are centering community voices alongside climate resilience and social equity in the LFI update, including reaching stakeholders from across the food system.
Community engagement will be conducted over the next five months, including the ongoing survey and a series of focus groups and listening sessions for people across King County that will take place from October to January.
A draft LFI plan will be developed following this extensive community engagement, with a final public comment opportunity scheduled before final adoption by the King County Council.
The survey will ask questions about experiences, priorities, and opportunities when it comes to growing, buying, or eating local food. Answers will help shape the King County LFI and the future of food and agriculture in the region.
The survey takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete, and answers will remain completely anonymous. You will not be asked for your name, address, or citizenship status, and providing demographic information is optional.
This survey is meant for all community members and is not intended to gather opinions on policy-specific questions. If you have more ideas, please join a focus group to have conversations about current strengths, challenges, and potential solutions.
“The Local Food Initiative has served as an important policy roadmap that focuses our collective efforts on goals,” said King County Local Food Economy Manager Michael Lufkin. “It’s important that we hear from partners and communities from across the food system so that we create a new vision for our local food economy that works for everyone.”
Take the Local Food Initiative survey here.
Learn more about the LFI update process here.