Local Food Production Assessment

In 2025 Local Food Matters took a deep dive into our community food system, taking a close look at local food production and access in order to gain a better understanding of how to build resilience into our food system. We wanted to know how much food is being produced locally, how it is being accessed and through what channels it is distributed. We wanted to know the many faces, places and hands of our local food system, mapping a clear picture of our community food network. The Local Food Production Assessment produced an agronomist’s report, featured below, and the Golden and Area Local Food Map.

The Key recommendations of this report are to:

1. Enable year-round local food access by investing in small scale infrastructure

2. Support market access through intermediaries

3. Address farm labour constraints as a systems issue

4. Increase connectivity to regional food supplies

Empowered with the findings of the Local Food Production Assessment, Local Food Matters is engaging in initiatives to directly action the above recommendations. We are committed to the vision of a thriving and resilient food system for Golden and Area A, supporting local farmers, increasing access to local food as well as educating & empowering our community on issues of food security.

We are grateful for the many partnerships among community organizations working in and intersecting with community food security and for the robust support from local government. With many exciting initiatives on the horizon, including the emergence of a Columbia Valley Regional Food Hub stewarded by our organization, we are optimistic about the potential of growth and resilience in our local food system. See below to check out our full summary, as well as the agronomist report in its entirety!