In 2012 the United States Department of Housing and Human Development awarded the Lehigh Valley a Regional Planning Grant to create strategies for maintaining its quality of life while absorbing thousands of new residents. To prepare for the creation of a plan, several community organizations studied the local food economy and recently published their results in a lengthy and detailed document titled "Assessment Report: Lehigh Valley Local Food Economy." The report is intended to provide a basis for the formulation of a Fresh Food Access Plan.

Allison Czapp presented the findings recently in the report at the quarterly meeting of the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation. The foundation is committed to "restoring nutrient-dense foods in the American diet through education, research, and activism." Czapp is the outreach coordinator for the Greater Lehigh Valley Chapter Buy Fresh Buy Local. She has worked with several organizations to improve access to food in low- income communities, and she manages the Bethlehem Farmers Market.

The assessment covers numerous aspects, both positive and negative, of the local food economy. Its biggest challenge, Czapp noted, is the loss of both farms and farmland. In 1930 there were 5,032 farms in the Lehigh Valley; in 2007 there were 1,002 farms. In addition, there has been a decline in the number of acres per farm. If this rate of loss continues, there will be no farms left in 50 years.

According to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, the land is being appropriated for housing as well as commercial and industrial purposes at a rate of 3.5 square miles per year. Pressure to develop the remaining farmland will increase with the anticipated addition of 146,000 people to the Lehigh Valley over the next 20 years. This will put a tremendous strain on the availability of fresh food. On the positive side, both Lehigh and Northampton counties have been imposing land use restrictions in certain areas to preserve them for agricultural purposes exclusively.

Another issue Czapp discussed is the dramatic decrease in the number of farmers in the Lehigh Valley. Farmers under age 35 have decreased by 37 percent. Barriers to becoming a farmer are lack of access to land and capital as well as lack of training for farming. Only 17 percent of farmers own the land they farm. Czapp noted that local governments could make land available for farming, and city owned lands could be made available as well. The Seed Farm is providing training, so individuals can try farming before investing in equipment.

The lack of access to fresh food, especially in low-income communities, is another challenge. One aspect of the problem is the lack of infrastructure necessary to transport food from farms to wholesale buyers, such as hospitals, colleges, retirement communities and prisons. Food hubs and food business incubators could mitigate the difficulty. Moreover, food waste, due in part to overstocking and blemished foods, must be reduced.

Czapp stressed the importance of buying locally-grown food. Not only would it ensure a more healthful diet, but also purchasing it returns three times as much money to the local economy as purchasing food produced elsewhere. If residents spent $10 weekly on locally grown food, the local food economy could generate almost $100 million economic activity. This would increase economic growth and jobs for local farms and businesses.