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c k-rm Ste At, <br />a ' <br />X55 � C 1 dti <br />-x r <br />Lomax Center for Agricultural Education <br />Development Plan 2016 - 2026 <br />A Growing Movement in <br />Response to a Growing Crisis <br />Everyday more than a million+ people in the Charlotte metro Region make decisions <br />about what they eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. While those decisions are personal <br />and particular to the individual, they are not made in a vacuum. One cannot make a <br />choice that is not available or choose that which is not known. Easy access to fresh and <br />healthy food, grown in a manner that will not strain future generations and the <br />knowledge and experience about what to eat and how to eat it is essential to a <br />community of that strives to be healthy, happy and productive. <br />A decade ago the seeds of a different sort of food system were sown as our community <br />made decisions about the future of development in Cabarrus County. Proud of our <br />agricultural heritage and skeptical of a future that didn't include farming and good food, <br />we have taken steps to protect existing agriculture and foster the understanding of the <br />need for support of our local food system. With a growing recognition of the need to <br />train new farmers and the growing demand for locally grown produce, the Lomax <br />Incubator Farm was born and continues to serve as the center of this movement in our <br />community. <br />The process of creating this Lomax Development Plan was straightforward: gather input <br />from current participants at the Lomax Farm as well as from and a wide range of <br />stakeholders, community leaders, existing partners, possible partners, and others <br />interested in the future of food in Cabarrus County. All were asked to explore the key <br />concerns surrounding the future of the Lomax Farm. Through large group discussions, <br />small group meetings, and one -on -one conversations, consensus emerged about what <br />would be required to meet the needs of our community and benefit the different <br />segments of our population. The process challenged everyone involved to identify key <br />topics, concepts and goals and how they could be integrated into existing and proposed <br />infrastructure and programming at the Lomax Farm. <br />G -6 Page 175 <br />