Northwest Arkansas has a rich farming heritage, and for much of the 20th century, its dedicated farmers were known as some of the country’s most prolific growers of fruits and vegetables. While the region has experienced renewed interest in small-scale farming over the past decade, an aging farm workforce and the rising cost of land have made farming inaccessible for too many residents.

As consumer demand grows for local produce, and recent crises highlight the essential role farmers play in the food supply chain, Northwest Arkansas Food Systems supports local growers from seed to table, connecting new and existing farmers to educational opportunity, land, technical assistance and capital. It also improves farmers’ access to local wholesale and direct-to-consumer markets by supporting programs that provide certification, aggregation, sales and distribution and processing services.

The initiative is set to soar in early 2024 with the opening of Market Center of the Ozarks, a new, 45,000-square-foot food hub supporting local farmers and food startups in the heart of downtown Springdale. This facility will provide farmers a space to process their harvest, food entrepreneurs a place to create and innovate and the community a new spot to gather and learn about food.

Over time, we believe Northwest Arkansas can serve as a national model for small and mid-size farmers making a good living growing food for their community.

Spring Creek Food Hub operates a regional food hub that provides education and technical assistance to growers as they navigate the wholesale marketplace. Spring Creek Food Hub also aggregates from small growers and distributes to wholesale buyers in order to provide fresh produce to Northwest Arkansans where they eat, shop, work and play. The hub serves as both an economic engine and community space for farmers to build their businesses and relationships. Spring Creek Food Hub provides weekly farm boxes to residents. It accepts SNAP benefits, Double Your Dollars and Double Up Food Bucks to make local food affordable for all. Spring Creek also supports food safety certification for growers as they scale up to meet demand from the institutional food service market.

The Northwest Arkansas Land Trust improves the quality of life in the region through the preservation and enhancement of wild and farmed land. As part of this mission, the Land Trust operates NWA FARMLINK, a free website to help farm seekers and farmland owners connect. FARMLINK members have access to local support, guidance, resources and tools. It also serves as a virtual "matchmaker" for farmers seeking land and landowners looking to lease or sell. Through the Farmland Access Fund, the Land Trust also helps to reduce the cost of acquiring new land for fruit and vegetable producers through voluntary agricultural easements that preserve farmland forever.

The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food at the University of Arkansas works to strengthen and expand the region’s food and farming system by providing new opportunities to shape current and future farmers, food entrepreneurs and food system leaders. CAFF offers three tiers of educational support that enhance the skills necessary to develop resilient businesses that also sustain the ecosystem, land and communities. CAFF Farm School is an affordable, 11-month experiential learning opportunity for beginners that combines hands-on farming with core classes in production, business and legal issues. The apprenticeship program matches novice farmers with established farms, providing real farm working experience, alongside a core set of classes. Finally, cooperative extension programs help experienced farmers expand and scale their businesses, become wholesale ready and extend the growing season.

Small farms often operate on slim margins. To help farmers scale up to meet the demand for their food, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture provides grants of up to $15,000 to increase production and prepare for wholesale. The Arkansas Grown Grant will empower Northwest Arkansas farmers to fund needs specific to their operation, including expanded irrigation, cold storage and moving from hand production to mechanized production.

Community Clinic will expand a pilot program that improves regular and reliable access to nutritious, locally grown foods and can be paid for using SNAP benefits. Community Clinic is the largest safety-net healthcare provider in Northwest Arkansas, serving over 16,000 individuals who experience inequity in health status, including a lack of access to nutritious food. To combat this disparity, Community Clinic partners with the Spring Creek Food Hub to operate a local produce program providing locally sourced produce boxes from Arkansas farmers to under-resourced patients and the community.

Healthy soil produces healthy food. Researchers at the University of Arkansas conduct soil testing and research to help farmers increase the productivity and profitability of specialty crops in the region. Farmers receive training to implement management practices that improve on-farm soil health.