North Fork Valley Buy Local Resource Campaign
Our goal is to ensure economic stability, security and a thriving circular economy by strengthening and promoting local food, agriculture and creative communities.
This campaign was launched in 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic to remind citizens about the importance of the valley’s agriculture and food economy. We need to invest in our community and our local economy long term.
Buy Local News
Resiliency Planning and Action Workshop
The Resiliency Planning and Action Workshop will explore how to build a resilient, strong and local economy that can withstand economic shocks. The strength of our community depends on our ability to create an economy that supports us all.
Buy Local Resource Campaign
The North Fork Valley Buy Local Resource Campaign is moving full steam ahead in Spring 2021 with plans to expand its reach and provide better support for the valley’s numerous agricultural industries.
Action Maps
The Colorado Farm and Food Alliance has released three maps in its series of “Local Food Action Maps,” depicting local food, drink, and action options in western Colorado.
Buy Local Campaign Participating Organizations
Citizens for a Healthy Community (CHC) is a 500-member strong grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the air, water and foodsheds within the Delta County region of Southwest Colorado from the impacts of oil and gas development and paving the way for a renewable, clean energy future.
CHC envisions a day when…
- Delta County Region’s food, air, and watersheds are no longer threatened by large-scale industrial oil and gas operations;
- Ensuring the protection of human health and the environment is the foundation of our state and federal laws;
- Elected officials, agency personnel, and citizens use science as the basis for decision-making;
- Regulatory agencies err on the side of caution and protecting public health by denying a proposed action when scientific uncertainty exists regarding the potential harm of the action; and
- One industry is not allowed to supplant another (i.e, invasive gas and oil development does not have the right to ruin agricultural and tourism-based industries).
The Learning Council is an educational hub for the North Fork Valley, connecting learners and educators to meet specific needs and empower personal growth. The outcomes of its programs encourage learners to give back to the community through service. Responding to the needs of our community, it offers a variety of classes and learning opportunities for all ages and skill levels, continually broadening its course selection.
The Learning Council provides complimentary educational opportunities, celebrating the arts and agriculture, stimulating creativity, enriching local culture, and bolstering community health and vitality.
Valley Organic Growers Association (VOGA) promotes local sustainable agriculture by supporting and educating producers and consumers. VOGA envisions a vibrant community of prosperous, local farms that sustain and benefit the land by providing healthy agricultural products.
VOGA’s guiding principles include:
- Create and support viable local agriculture.
- Maintain and improve the health of our soil, air and water.
- Commit to working towards organic standards with the intention of producing food free from non-organic inputs.
The Colorado Farm & Food Alliance (COFFA) networks family farms, winemakers, brewers, food producers, farm and food workers, chefs and restaurateurs to strengthen the local food movement, to support sustainable rural communities, and to provide a platform for effective advocacy.
COFFA provides information about Colorado agriculture and food systems to highlight the nexus between securing and strengthening their resiliency and implementing sound land use, energy, conservation and climate policy. It welcomes participation from a range of organizations, individuals and businesses on its various projects.
Slow Food Western Slope is part of Slow Food USA and the global Slow Food network of over 150,000 members in more than 150 countries.
It believes that food is a delicious solution that will unite joy and justice when it works in the intersections of food, race, class, gender and climate. It believes in knitting together resilient ecosystems where everyone builds and upholds a great diversity of people, cultures, places, foods and tastes.
Slow Food Western Slope believes that good, clean and fair food is a universal right. It envisions a world where all people can eat food that is good for them, good for the people who grow it and good for the planet.
Viva la Vida Foundation was formed to train people in the areas of agriculture, architecture, and depollution work. The earth and everything living on it – plants, animals, humans – are affected by the degradation of our overall environment.
One solution to cleaning and healing the earth is through the use of homeopathically made preparations.
Another step to help support a healthy environment is the specific layout of a farm or garden to enhance the natural healing abilities of the plants and even the therapeutic aspects of architectural structures.
North Fork Valley Creative Coalition‘s mission is to foster the development of a vibrant community and diverse creative economy in the North Fork Valley of western Colorado. It envisions a thriving community where art and agriculture meet.
Its goal is to grow the economy in the Valley by:
- Attracting more visitors
- Encouraging artists and creative entrepreneurs to find their homes here
- Revitalizing and beautifying our community
- Celebrating and strengthening our community’s unique identity and heritage
- Showcasing cultural and artistic organizations, events and amenities
- Enhancing and preserving a quality of life here that is very special
The West Elks American Viticultural Area (AVA) spreads through Delta county on the Western Slope of Colorado. It boasts of some of the highest vineyards in North America and the some of the best Colorado wine. This high mesa area in the Colorado Rockies seems an unlikely place to grow grapes and make wine. But here you will find some of the best wine produced in the state.
West Elks AVA is noted for its production of white wines. Riesling and Gewurztraminer grow extremely well here as does Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. Here they produce some terrific wines. The high elevation and low humidity coupled with cool nights help retain a high degree of acidity as the grapes ripen. This is a positive for all varieties grown in the region, but it makes for especially perfect Riesling and Gewurztraminer.