Working with the Conservation Trust of North Carolina and a host of project partners, Community Food Lab has helped produce an innovative land conservation strategy for the Triangle region of NC. The strategy targets agriculture and local food systems as important sources of economic leverage and long-term community support for protecting the remaining open spaces of the Triangle. The region is growing rapidly, and the richness of the area's farmland and farm culture is ultimately at stake if effective solutions can't be developed. Community Food Lab helped design a planning process that included the input from many farm and farmland experts, the creativity and first-hand experience of many community members, as well as innovative GIS modeling and data analysis. Community Food Lab co-authored the plan, designed many of the final images, and produced the final report.

Our hope is that this model of regional farmland planning through an agricultural and local food lens is a replicable approach for other locations, and that our Triangle strategy is carried forward by project partners to create meaningful impact in land planning, local food economies, and public awareness around the importance of farms and farmland.

Find the final plan and supporting documents here. The project was funded in part by the Triangle Community Foundation.