Economic Development Goal 7. Kitsap County strives to promote food security, food economy, and public health by encouraging locally- based food production, distribution, and choice through urban agriculture, community gardens, farmers markets, and food access initiatives. Economic Development Policy 28. Promote inter-agency and intergovernmental cooperation to expand access to local foods, e.g., food hubs. Economic Development Goal 8. The lack of food related processing and distribution has created many gaps in Kitsap County’s food system. In order to improve the food sectors economic viability Kitsap County will enhance local and regional aggregation and distribution by increasing, and where necessary, creating, food processing infrastructure. Economic Development Policy 29. Strengthen the food value chain by supporting new congregation and distribution opportunities such as farm stands, farmers’ markets, and food hubs. The following policies should be moved to Economic Development strategies section. Strategy 1 – Regional Emphasis Projects and Programs: Encourage community gardens, school gardens, farm-to-school programs, farmers or public markets, and other small-scale, collaborative initiatives. Measuring, Monitoring and Evaluation: Assess whether publicly owned properties/facilities that are currently underutilized could be made available for one or more facets of the food system. Partnerships: Foster consistency of food policy across jurisdictions. Projects and Programs: Promote marketing opportunities across the food system. Measuring, Monitoring and Evaluation: Maintain affordable land for farmers through a range of potential innovations and new business models. Public Outreach: Raise the level of county-wide public awareness and understanding of Kitsap County agriculture, including its ecological, economic, open space and cultural value, and its importance to local food security. Measuring, Monitoring and Evaluation: Assess opportunities to reduce regulatory burdens and related expenses through means such as, streamlining of agricultural taxation exemption processes. Projects and Programs: Develop and adopt a Right-to-Farm ordinance; revise conditional use regulations to create a more agriculture-supportive climate. Strategy 2 – Focus on Community Development Projects and Programs: Educate the agricultural community regarding business and succession planning, and provide resource assistance.
Economic Development Goal 7. Kitsap County strives to promote food security, food economy, and public health by encouraging locally- based food production, distribution, and choice through urban agriculture, community gardens, farmers markets, and food access initiatives. Economic Development Policy 28. Promote inter-agency and intergovernmental cooperation to expand access to local foods, e.g., food hubs. Economic Development Goal 8. The lack of food related processing and distribution has created many gaps in Kitsap County’s food system. In order to improve the food sectors economic viability Kitsap County will enhance local and regional aggregation and distribution by increasing, and where necessary, creating, food processing infrastructure. Economic Development Policy 29. Strengthen the food value chain by supporting new congregation and distribution opportunities such as farm stands, farmers’ markets, and food hubs. The following policies should be moved to Economic Development strategies section. Strategy 1 – Regional Emphasis Projects and Programs: Encourage community gardens, school gardens, farm-to-school programs, farmers or public markets, and other small-scale, collaborative initiatives. Measuring, Monitoring and Evaluation: Assess whether publicly owned properties/facilities that are currently underutilized could be made available for one or more facets of the food system. Partnerships: Foster consistency of food policy across jurisdictions. Projects and Programs: Promote marketing opportunities across the food system. Measuring, Monitoring and Evaluation: Maintain affordable land for farmers through a range of potential innovations and new business models. Public Outreach: Raise the level of county-wide public awareness and understanding of Kitsap County agriculture, including its ecological, economic, open space and cultural value, and its importance to local food security. Measuring, Monitoring and Evaluation: Assess opportunities to reduce regulatory burdens and related expenses through means such as, streamlining of agricultural taxation exemption processes. Projects and Programs: Develop and adopt a Right-to-Farm ordinance; revise conditional use regulations to create a more agriculture-supportive climate. Strategy 2 – Focus on Community Development Projects and Programs: Educate the agricultural community regarding business and succession planning, and provide resource assistance.
Harris.E_BoCC_Public%20Comment%20ED_June%202016.docx