Two generations ago, people ate from their own gardens and farms and communities relied on a local network to feed themselves. Today, the priorities of convenience and cost have replaced healthy, wholesome food that travels an average of 1500 miles from farm to plate and people are disconnected from the food they eat. Even though the world produces one and a half times more food than the global population, food insecurity or a lack of access to enough good, healthy, and culturally appropriate food is an enormous and complex problem and is directly related to community resilience.
Sierra Harvest exists to deliver solutions in the areas of consumption, production and access to fresh, local, seasonal food so in 2019, we asked what our community needed to improve their health and well-being. We talked to farmers, business leaders, program participants, kids, parents, teachers, supporters, our partners and other community members. Our board and staff spent time at a retreat, a full day workshop, and sitting down with individuals one on one to understand the complex problems and opportunities associated with feeding a community locally and creating resiliency to weather the impacts of climate change. We distilled the creativity, inspiration, perspectives and feedback into a five-year strategic plan that now guides our work keeping a long term vision active and within reach. The plan includes four unique Ends policies which define outcomes as a result of the work done by the organization along with corresponding strategies that we believe are the most effective way to meet our Ends.
Sierra Harvest thrives on feedback and we will continue to commit ourselves to receiving opinions and suggestions to ensure the plan itself lives and breathes with what is the only sure thing – change! As the plan unfolds and becomes part of the fabric of our community, we hold ourselves accountable to creating a community where everyone has a seat at the table filled with local fresh foods that nurture and sustain us. Thank you for your partnership!