Kearsarge Food Hub: A Decade of Progress Towards Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: A Ten-Year Retrospective on Community Revitalization and Food Security

The Kearsarge Food Hub (KFH) is celebrating its tenth anniversary, marking a significant milestone in its mission to enhance food security and foster a resilient local food system in central New Hampshire. The organization’s work directly contributes to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11), and Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12).

Advancing SDG 2: Zero Hunger through Localized Food Systems

From its inception, KFH has been dedicated to combating food insecurity and improving access to nutritious, locally sourced food. This mission is a direct implementation of SDG 2, which aims to end hunger and ensure access to safe, nutritious food for all.

Key Achievements in Food Security:

• In 2024, the organization donated over $100,000 worth of food to community partners, directly addressing food access challenges.
• The establishment of the Sweet Beet Market and Cafe created a year-round retail point for local produce, bridging the gap between consumers and producers.
• By becoming a 501c3 nonprofit, KFH expanded its capacity to fund food access programs, including offering discounts to vulnerable shoppers and making substantial food donations.

Fostering Economic Growth and Sustainable Communities (SDG 8 & SDG 11)

The Kearsarge Food Hub has become a vital economic and social anchor in Bradford, NH, contributing to both local economic vitality and community resilience.

Contributions to SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• The Hub has emerged as a significant local employer, creating jobs and providing valuable professional experience.
• It supports a network of over 250 local food growers and vendors, generating nearly $1 million in revenue in 2024, thereby strengthening the regional agricultural economy.
• The organization’s apprenticeship program provides hands-on training, fostering skills for careers in sustainable agriculture.

Impact on SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

• The presence and success of the Food Hub have been credited with attracting younger residents to Bradford, reversing a demographic trend and infusing the town with new vitality.
• KFH serves as a central gathering place, strengthening community bonds and fostering a shared commitment to local sustainability.

Promoting Education and Responsible Production (SDG 4 & SDG 12)

Education and the promotion of sustainable practices are integral to the Hub’s model, aligning with goals for quality education and responsible resource management.

Commitment to SDG 4: Quality Education

The Hub’s apprenticeship program offers comprehensive, hands-on learning in small-scale farming. Graduates like Cassie McCormack-LaShier have successfully launched their own agricultural enterprises, demonstrating the program’s effectiveness in building human capital and empowering a new generation of farmers.

Alignment with SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

KFH’s entire operational model is built on the principles of SDG 12. By creating a direct link between local farmers and consumers, it promotes sustainable production patterns and reduces food miles. The initial inspiration for the project included a focus on reducing food waste, a key target of this goal.

Strategic Evolution: The Next Decade (“KFH2”)

As it enters its second decade, the Kearsarge Food Hub is undergoing a strategic evolution to deepen its impact. This next phase, “KFH2,” will be guided by a renewed focus on collaboration, communication, and education, further strengthening its contribution to the SDGs.

Key Components of the Future Strategy:

1. Enhanced Educational Focus: The original “Baby Beet” farm plot will be repurposed as a dedicated center for small-scale farming education, expanding on the success of its apprenticeship program (SDG 4).
2. Strengthened Partnerships (SDG 17): The operational model will shift to foster greater independence for farm managers while maintaining a collaborative network, reinforcing partnerships for sustainable development.
3. Leadership Transition: The organization is seeking a new executive director to guide its next phase of growth, prioritizing a leader who shares the core mission of building a sustainable and equitable local food system.

SDGs Addressed in the Article

SDG 2: Zero Hunger

• The article focuses on the Kearsarge Food Hub’s mission to “stem food insecurity in central New Hampshire” and provide a place “where local people can buy local food.” This directly addresses the goal of ending hunger and ensuring food security.

SDG 4: Quality Education

• The Food Hub’s “apprenticeship program” for recent college graduates, which provides hands-on training in farming, marketing, and selling produce, aligns with providing inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• The article highlights that the Food Hub “has become a stand-out employer in Bradford” and has contributed to economic revitalization by attracting “younger people” to move into the town, thus promoting sustained, inclusive economic growth and decent work.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

• By creating a vibrant community center, reversing the “greying” demographic trend, and strengthening the local food system, the Food Hub contributes to making the community of Bradford more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

• A core motivation for the Food Hub’s creation was the knowledge that “the average American wastes 300 pounds of food per year.” By creating a strong local food system, the hub promotes sustainable consumption and production patterns and helps reduce food waste.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• The Food Hub’s success is built on collaboration. It is described as a “bridge between the agricultural community and the consumers” and works with “more than 250 food growers and vendors” and “local food security partners,” exemplifying the importance of partnerships to achieve sustainable development.

Specific SDG Targets Identified

Target 2.1: End hunger and ensure access to food

• The Food Hub directly addresses this target through its work to “stem food insecurity.” The article notes the organization’s ability to offer “discounts to certain groups of shoppers and donating food to local food security partners.”

Target 2.3: Double the productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers

• The hub supports this target by creating a marketplace for local producers. In 2024, it “worked with more than 250 food growers and vendors,” providing them with a reliable sales channel and contributing to their income. The apprenticeship program also fosters the creation of new small-scale producers.

Target 4.4: Increase the number of youth and adults with relevant skills for employment

• The “apprenticeship program” is a clear example of this target in action. It provides recent graduates with vocational skills in agriculture, where they “were given complete latitude to seed, plant, market and sell produce,” leading to entrepreneurship, as seen with the couple who started their own farm.

Target 8.6: Reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training

• The Food Hub’s apprenticeship program specifically targets recent college graduates, providing them with training and a pathway to employment and entrepreneurship, directly addressing the issue of youth employment.

Target 11.a: Support positive links between rural, peri-urban and urban areas

• The Food Hub strengthens the local economy and social fabric by creating a “bridge between the agricultural community and the consumers.” It has revitalized the rural town of Bradford, changing its demographic from a “greying place” by attracting young people and families.

Target 12.3: Halve per capita global food waste

• The initiative was partly inspired by a founder’s awareness of food waste, specifically the statistic that “the average American wastes 300 pounds of food per year.” By creating a local food network, the hub inherently reduces waste from long-distance transportation and spoilage.

Target 17.17: Encourage effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships

• The Food Hub operates as a 501c3 nonprofit (civil society) that partners with over 250 private food growers and vendors, as well as other “local food security partners,” demonstrating a multi-stakeholder partnership model for community development.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

Indicator for Target 2.1 (Food Access)

• Value of donated food: The article states the Food Hub “donated more than $100,000 worth of food” in 2024, which is a direct quantitative measure of its efforts to combat food insecurity.

Indicator for Target 2.3 (Support for Small Producers)

• Number of producers supported: The article mentions the hub “worked with more than 250 food growers and vendors,” indicating the scale of its support for small-scale agriculture.
• Revenue generated for the local food system: The “nearly $1 million in revenue between sales, grants, individual contributions and other sources of income” is an indicator of the economic activity generated, a significant portion of which flows to local producers through sales.

Indicator for Target 4.4 (Skills Development)

• Existence and success of training programs: The “apprenticeship program” is a key indicator. The success story of the couple who completed the program and started their own farm serves as a qualitative indicator of its effectiveness in fostering entrepreneurship.

Indicator for Target 11.a (Community Revitalization)

• Demographic change: The article provides a qualitative indicator of success by describing how the town’s demographic has shifted from a “greying place” to one where “Younger people have moved into town,” directly attributing this change to the Food Hub’s presence.

Indicator for Target 17.17 (Partnerships)

• Number and type of partners: The specific mention of partnerships with “more than 250 food growers and vendors” and “local food security partners” serves as a clear indicator of the hub’s collaborative network.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Summary

Source: concordmonitor.com