How do you think local ag can better connect with consumers?

Hi HVFN,

My name is Jamie Larson, I'm a journalist who has written full time for the Register Star in Hudson, freelanced in the valley and now I'm in the Graduate Program at NYU.

I'm getting started on a project on our region's agriculture and how effectively it connects to the people who consume it.

I was hoping to start some discussions here to find contacts and identify needs.

So, as a group that is so clearly invested in Hudson Valley agriculture and food I would like your opinions on what the farm to consumer network is doing right and where things need improvement.

two things that particularly interest me are how small farms are reaching their potential in the digital age and how the valley's farms can potentially be used to solve local social service issues like hunger and joblessness.

That second one seems big I know. But here's a place to start: The federal government classifies Hudson NY as a food desert due to the fact that low income residents do not have easy access to quality affordable food. It seems odd that a city in one of the states most fertile production areas wouldn't have adequate access to that food.

Here's the national food desert map (zoom down to the HV): http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/FoodDesert/fooddesert.html

Do you believe there are ways to solve Hudson's food desert problem using local agriculture instead of chain supermarkets?

Thanks for your input,

Jamie Larson