Origins of the Kitsap Food Chain
June 4, 2010
One thing most Kitsap residents can agree on is we like to eat. At social gatherings, people congregate around the food table. When shopping for fresh produce, we tend to favor the local farmers’ markets that operate from spring until fall.
Our fondness for eating and food may be shared, but little of the food consumed by the 240,000 Kitsap County residents is grown here. An agricultural census indicates that only 1 percent of Kitsap food purchases are locally grown even though 664 known farms operate here.
Kitsap County has a rich fishing and agricultural heritage, which has changed drastically over time. The Port Madison Suquamish and Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribes looked to the forests and the sea for edibles for centuries. More than 100 years ago, Kitsap County farmers sent a large portion of Seattle’s foods across on mosquito fleet ferries, and were noted for strawberries, eggs and livestock. Widespread Victory Gardens flourished during the 1940s and 1950s. Even 4-H youth planted and harvested impressive bounties to support World War II efforts.
Today a renewed interest in local foods whispers promises for the future. “Fresh, high quality and nutrition” is taking root with the arrival of new restaurants, p-patches, produce stands, Master Gardener plots to supply food banks, and a small cooperative in Bremerton. They join the ranks of WSU Kitsap County Extension, which has been around for more than 93 years, Kitsap Community and Agricultural Alliance, the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance, granges, farmers’ markets, schools, and more to promote locally grown, healthy harvests.
The Kitsap County Food Chain program grew from a vision to link this quiet groundswell of seemingly disparate people and their activities into a network that nourishes and sustains our community. That food chain network will help coordinate communications for growing, preparing, and connecting consumers and food.
Fifteen citizens have been appointed to a new Food and Farm Policy Council to advise the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners on aspects of a vibrant food chain system. They will recommend policies to enhance community health, preserve agricultural lands and practices, and provide community information about the benefits of local foods.
For example, the Kitsap County Department of Community Development is currently reviewing the “Rural Resource” chapter of the Kitsap County Comprehensive Plan, and has invited input through public meetings and a survey. A Council subcommittee met with department staff to discuss a range of goals and policies that promote and protect agricultural activities within the county, such as a “Right to Farm” ordinance, farmland preservation and current and long-range uses.
All of these efforts in Kitsap County will help to continue our agricultural legacy and assure access to healthy, local, tasty foods for our community. Our economy benefits from investing in locally grown products. And we eaters are likely to savor foods at the peak of freshness with neighbors and friends who provided them for our table.
Charlotte Garrido is Chair of the Kitsap Board of County Commissioners and a member of PSRC’s Regional Food Policy Council.