Farm Economy

Working to grow markets for local products, improve affordability of healthy foods, increase availability of produce at food banks, and increase demand for local products. The Local Food Initiative’s food economy target is to double demand for locally produced, healthy food from $93 million to $186 million in 10 years.

Direct-to-consumer sales represent an important market for King County farm products and for operators of smaller farms, it is often their only sales option. Direct-to-consumer sales allow farmers to get the highest return on raw products while promoting long-term purchasing relationships with consumers. Direct sales include sales at farmers markets, subscription sales (commonly referred to as Community Supported Agriculture or CSA) and on-farm stands.