Why Infrastructure?
Successful and sustainable economic sectors do not appear out of thin air.
Support systems have to be built or initiated deliberately to sustain the sector.
These support systems often include:
** relieve the pressure from producers to pay for value-added space and equipment out of their own pockets
** increase outlets for producer revenue
** close two ends of a producer gap-- means for value-added for export and means for market garden and smaller productions to earn a living wage, and, create local paths to food sovereignty (having more of the food eaten be produced in the community, thereby lowering the risk of no access to food, and, increasing access to fresh or healthier food).
Support systems have to be built or initiated deliberately to sustain the sector.
These support systems often include:
- Rail, road, waterway, air access
- Scientific and tecnnical research for ongoing invention of processes, safety, materials, etc.
- Courses and degrees supported for workers from the shop floor to the boardroom to be trained and gain and set standards for expertise
- Conferences and professional development and knowledge sharing opportunities
- Legislation and policy
- Investment structures and banking
- Natural resource assessment and protection
- Built environment including structures for business, housing, community gathering, education, municipal facilities
- Energy, water, sewage infrastructure
- Access to basic services including food access, grocery services, retail
- Federal, State, and private funding
- Political will
- Cooperative production facilities for local and regional smaller agricultural and mountain farming producers to utilize for value-added production and scaling toward a livable household wage
- Retail space for sales for local and regional smaller agricultural and mountain farming producers
- Agrihood development to co-locate and center agricultural high tunnel and other productions directly in communities
** relieve the pressure from producers to pay for value-added space and equipment out of their own pockets
** increase outlets for producer revenue
** close two ends of a producer gap-- means for value-added for export and means for market garden and smaller productions to earn a living wage, and, create local paths to food sovereignty (having more of the food eaten be produced in the community, thereby lowering the risk of no access to food, and, increasing access to fresh or healthier food).
