ROOM AT THE TABLE - Intersight - University at Buffalo

WEAKNESSES
($ Challenges with the climate ­ Erie County has a limited amount of sunny days year­round.
($ Disproportionately older farmers ­ D4'('L,$/,#-(.0+&'+$(0+'(0-,#-6(8/(/4'($0&'(/,&'E(N+,'(7"%#/5(30!I$(0($%.)!,'#/(5"%#-(B"B%30/,"#(
entering the farming profession.
($ Low farming income ­ About the half of principal farming operators in Erie County has another occupation as their primary employment.
This implies that farming is not enough to sustain the economic well­being of their family.
($ Lack of farmer diversity ­ Erie County farmers are predominantly white. As they are aging and other white Erie County residents are not
entering the farming industry, potential newcomers to farming industry in Erie County may be limited to immigrants who come here with
previous farming experience.
($ )&*+,'-."&#$-/01*$,0/$2+34&$-0&*+31#.0& ­ The majority (90%) of the harvested cropland in Erie County is dedicated to crops for animal
feed.
($ Lack of crop diversity ­ High percentage of farmland in Erie County is concentrated in producing a single crop type: dairy.
($ )&*+,'-."&#$54&6$6"6.-4#"6$#0$,/+.#*$4&6$7"8"#4%5"* ­ Only small proportion of harvested cropland is dedicated to growing fruits and
vegetables.
($ Highly divisive political partisanship ­ Within Erie County, there are 39 municipal governments that vary in form and political ideology.
This diversity and the nature of New York State as a home rule state sometimes hinder the implementation of a plan at larger scales.
($ Lack of awareness among governments and the public ­ The county’s agricultural industry is not fully provided with governmental
support. Also, the public lacks awareness of an existing support system for agriculture, such as ‘Right to Farm’ law.
($ Lack of resources ­ There is no one­stop place for farmers to obtain information about new technologies and opportunities (e.g., support
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($ Lack of time for business development ­ When farmers start to seek out business in new markets (e.g., selling at another farmers’ market),
it requires substantial time, especially considering their farming business is already time intensive. Related to this issue about time, there is
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($ High cost of managing local products ­ It is cost­prohibitive, in terms of both time and money, for retailers to manage local products. This
creates an obstacle for Erie County farmers to sell their products locally.
($ Declining population ­ Over the last two decades, Erie County’s population has declined, causing the populations of consumers and labor
force to shrink, as well.
($ High poverty level ­ About 14 percent of Erie County’s population is living below poverty level. Among K­12 students, about 33 percent is
eligible to receive a free lunch at school under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), as administered by the United States Department
of Agriculture.
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