The Fairfield Neighborfood Ecosystem is a collaboration between a number of community organizations and UFI to develop a successful ‘neighborfood’ ecosystem that supports growing food through resilient, regenerative urban permaculture practices within Fairfield and surrounding neighborhoods in Huntington, West Virginia.

 

 

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The UFI Neighborfood Ecosystem Initiative (NEI) increasing community members’ capacity, especially Fairfield Neighborhood residents, to grow fruits and vegetables at home, in community gardens, and in urban farms.  The NEI provides free training and technical support to community residents to increase their knowledge about urban agricultural practices (e.g., permaculture approaches, hydroponics, composting, vertical gardening, and regenerative techniques), preparation and storage of healthy foods for food security, and the ways to access local food across multiple scales; backyard gardening, community gardens, and within the local food system through our year-round indoor farmer’s market – The Market@1650.

Our goal is to increase capacity for growing local foods while also reducing the Fairfield neighborhood’s food swamp* (*area that lacks access to healthy foods but is plentiful in unhealthy and fast foods).

The UFI Neighborfood Ecosystem consists of:

  • Urban Agriculture Training Program: 33 hours per week of paid employment for trainees who work in various urban agricultural spaces in the Fairfield East & West neighborhoods of Huntington.
  • Healthy Food Center: A Consignment kitchen and hands-on classroom where community members can learn how to safely harvest, store, prepare, and preserve food. In addition to providing a resource for washing, storing, and processing harvest from the ecosystem gardens, this shared space will allow for education and collaboration with community partners and ecosystem members.
  • The Market@1650: A year-round Farmer Markets in the UFI Business Incubator at 1650 8th Avenue Huntington where we sell fresh fruits, vegetables, and other food staples. We accept EBT SNAP, WV Senior Farmer’s Market Vouchers, WIC Farmer’s Market Vouchers, Cash, Debit, and Credit Cards.
  • Retail Training Program: The Market@1650 provides the perfect location for our retail/vendor training program.  This program provides opportunities for our clients to sell their products and receive customer feedback and technical support.

 

Take a virtual tour of our urban farms/gardens and see what we’ve been doing:

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Food & Farm Incubation program

Unlimited Future, Inc. has supported local farmers and food businesses for over 30 years.  We have the knowledge and resources to help you start or grow your business too.  Our Food & Farm Incubation program includes:

  • 1:1 Business coaching to help your food or farm business grow.
  • Access to our Healthy Foods Kitchen program: technical support for applying for necessary licenses, permits, and training for running a food business or developing agriculture value-added products.
  • Resources and support for your marketing plan, product development, packaging, and logos.
  • Access to our Wholesale Program, where you can buy food items, packaging, labels, and other necessary items for your business at discounted prices.
  • Access to shared spaces in the UFI Business Incubator at 1650 8th Avenue, including the Healthy Food Consignment Kitchen, the Market@1650, and the Maker@1650 spaces. (See Rates Sheet).
  • Workshops and training for regenerative urban agriculture, permaculture, business plan development, farm finances, food business finances, bookkeeping, social media marketing, time management, goal setting, and more.
  • Networking opportunities with local and regional food and farm businesses.

Healthy Foods Kitchen Program

Participants in our Food & Farm Incubation Program have access to the following services in our health department approved consignment kitchen located in our business incubator building at 1650 8th Avenue:

  • Use of UFI community kitchen to help incubate your food business. (See rates)
  • Application for Kitchen
  • 1:1 Business Coaching to help start & set-up your food business
  • Commercial refrigeration space (See rates)

Application for Healthy Foods Kitchen Program. (There is a 50$ annual fee)

 

 

 

As a participant in our Food & Farm incubation program, you can access discounted prices on items that you need in your business, including:

  • Fresh fruits, vegetables
  • Food staples – (dairy, cheese, meats, grains, eggs)
  • Packaging supplies (bags, food safe containers, value-added product containers) with no minimum buy.
  • Blank Labels (no-minimum buy) and Food Nutrition Label services – We can help you develop and print the food labels for your food products.

 

Email Sloftus@unlimitedfuture.org for an application to the Wholesale program.

The Market@1650 offers :

  • Fresh vegetables, fruit, and other food staples are grown in the Neighborfood ecosystem gardens/farms by our local farmer friends and other farmers in our region.
  • Food and value-added products from local food & farms in our incubation programs.
  • Veggies & fruits are grown in community gardens and back-yard gardens by community members.
  • Artisian and other products are available  in our Makers program.

 

Are you a local farmer or a backyard gardener and want to sell your harvest at The Market@1650? Fill out our application to be part of our weekly supply buy.

The Maker@1650 incubation space provides:

  • Shared workspace for crafters, small-batch manufacturers, and other value-added product makers.
  • Graphic Design, photography, website design and other marketing services at discounted prices.
  • Shared use of Color printers, label printers, Xtool Printers, Cricket & other specialty equipment to support your product development and sales at discounted prices.
  • Labels and packaging and design services.
  • Discounted labels, packaging and bags to support your sales.
  • Workshops and trainings to support your business.
  • 1:1 Business Coaching.

 

In collaboration with Coalfield Development Corp., and WV Workforce Region 2 we offer 33 hours per week of paid on-the-job training in Regenerative Urban Agriculture.   Crew members spend 30 hours per week learning regenerative agricultural techniques for growing food in urban gardens and high tunnels for six months.  

Crew members have three hours per week of paid personal development time to build workplace and life skills that improve workforce readiness.  If you’d like more information about our OJT training programs, please contact sloftus@unlimitedfuture.org.

In Eastern Huntington, many community members lack access to a grocery store that provides healthy food options, especially those grown and produced locally. Many residents live in areas that meet the USDA designation of a food desert (reflecting residents with low income, low food access and/or low vehicle access).  Huntington is located in Cabell County WV, which is designated as a “persistent poverty county” by the USDA. The neighborhoods within our target area are diverse, with a significant number of residents living below the federal poverty line, many of whom are African American.

 For more details about the Project

Dr. Sara Loftus, Deputy Director

We are always looking for news ways to connect with people and organizations with shared interests.  If you’d like to learn more about how you can be involved in the Neighborfood Ecosystem please reach out to me at –

sloftus@unlimitedfuture.org.  You can also stop in to the UFI Incubator building at 1650 8th Avenue, Huntington, WV

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