We are in the midst of a new strategic planning effort, as we set course for the next 3 to 5 years. To kick things off we are holding strategic planning listening sessions throughout our region, with members and prospective members.

WHAT: Can we count on YOU to help us determine the future of our local food & farming system in the Chesapeake Region?

WHY: Setting New Goals and Directions for Future Harvest- CASA -“Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going?” - Organizational planning and strategizing for the next 3 to 5 years

WHEN & WHERE: Multiple Dates and Locations in February and March, 2010

February:
Bethesda Green, Mon, Feb 22, 2010, from 7 pm to 8:30 pm (www.bethesdagreen.org)
Pearlstone Center, Wed, Feb. 24, 2010 from 6 to 8 pm (www.pearlstonecenter.org)

March: Future Sessions still being planned - please stay tuned for more details

Please RSVP by calling 410-549-7878, or emailing futureharvestcasa@gmail.com.

You can download the questions that we will be discussing here. We will be making these question available via surveymonkey.com, so that all members have a chance to provide input, even if they cannot make one of our sessions.

SOME BACKGROUND...

Fifteen years ago, Future Harvest-Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture (CASA), was founded to promote profitable, environmentally sound and socially acceptable food and farming systems that work to sustain communities. We are a network of farmers, agricultural professionals, landowners, consumers and local advocates who live and work in the Chesapeake region: Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

From the beginning, our membership has been comprised of producers, consumers, government entities and other stakeholders, with our primary focus for programs and outreach on small and midsize farms and producers who are interested in sustainability and profitability. While we stay true to this original mission, we feel it is time to update our goals and action plans, according to changing times.

There is increased interest in our mission, such that our membership has now expanded to include people from different sectors of the food system: those who participate in the local food economy, those helping to preserve farmland and open space, those who advocate for sustainable food and agriculture and those whose concerns range from educating consumers about where our food comes from to improving school lunches to the importance of school gardens.

We have accomplished a lot and have continued to spread the word, but the staff and Board of Directors of Future Harvest-CASA, along with some of our members, feel that the time is right to chart a new course for our network organization.

As a first step of that process, we’ve decided to hold a series of facilitated listening sessions so that members and potential members may help us to develop and create a new strategy and direction for the next five years. The series has already begun and will continue throughout February and March, with additional locations in Baltimore, Lower Eastern Shore and Bethesda, Maryland and in Northern Virginia. The first session was held at the Future Harvest Conference in Shepherdstown, WV in January.

In order to hear what our current and prospective members are thinking about, here are some questions to consider: Where are we now? Where should we go? What do we need as support to get us to where we want to go? And, how can we improve our public image? How have we been doing to further our core mission: to promote profitable, environmentally sound and socially acceptable food and farming systems that work to sustain communities? And, what more do we need to do? How do we get the word out to others who may be interested in our mission?

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