Media Advisory: "Room at the Table" Plan to Improve Erie County Farmlands, Food System to Be Presented March 28

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- "Room at the Table," a detailed plan to strengthen and enhance Erie County farmlands and the county's $9.9 billion food system, will be presented to members of the Erie County Industrial Development Agency March 28 at 8:30 a.m. in the IDA offices, 143 Genesee St., Buffalo.

The plan was developed by eight graduate students in the University at Buffalo Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the request of the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning.

It offers detailed strategies to assure economical and viable agriculture in Erie County, promote access to local food by county residents, ensure lasting food security, promote the overall health and wellness of residents, promote agritourism and educate the general public about the Erie County food system.

The students worked for several months in the fall of 2011 under the direction of nationally recognized food security researcher Samina Raja, PhD, associate professor of urban and regional planning in the UB School of Architecture and Planning.

They were assisted by input from a number of farming, academic, county and private entities, including the Lexington Food Co-op, American Farmland Trust, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Promised Land Community Supported Agriculture and planning experts from UB, Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania.