“Grounded in Our Roots, Focused on Our Future”

- DeShawn L. Blanding

Pillar 3: PARTNERSHIPS

The Problem

South Carolina farmers produce incredible food, but too often the economic value leaves the state. At the same time, too many South Carolina families — especially in rural communities — face high food prices and limited access to fresh, locally grown products. These are not separate problems; they are two symptoms of the same broken supply chain. The solution is not charity… it is infrastructure, procurement, and cooperative power.

The Plan

  • Building on the Certified SC Grown initiative — which now boasts more than 2,100 members and over 80% brand recognition — restructure the program from a consumer awareness tool into an active in-state purchasing engine:

    • Build procurement and cooperative aggregation models that connect SC farmers directly to institutional buyers — schools, hospitals, state agencies, restaurants, and local retailers — through structured state food purchasing agreements.

    • Create a Local Market Development Grant Program providing targeted support for value-added opportunities, direct marketing, and technical assistance with special emphasis on diversified farm operations, livestock and poultry producers, and fresh fruit and vegetable growers.

    • Expand the Fresh on the Menu program into a formal Farm-to-Institution procurement standard for state-funded facilities.

  • Transform State Farmers Markets into local food aggregation hubs that serve as local anchors for the food supply chain. These hubs reduce food miles, help farmers keep more of the food dollar, and make fresh food more affordable and accessible for families across the state. Each hub would include:

    • Cold storage expansion and aggregation facilities.

    • Grain handling upgrades and feed milling capacity.

    • Regionally scaled, multifaceted processing capabilities.

    • A food policy council that steers the hub through partnerships with local churches, community-based organizations, local restaurants and businesses, and other institutions.

  • Use the infrastructure and funding from the USDA Local Food Purchase Assistance program to support a Community Food Reserve Program that creates voluntary land-lease agreements with South Carolina farmers, compensating them to set aside a portion of their acreage for community-supported agriculture projects. Reserved plots produce fresh food for local families, faith communities, schools, and food-insecure households — while keeping farmers financially whole through fair lease payments and production support grants. Local nonprofit organizations, churches, and community groups serve as CSA project operators, connecting production directly to the families who need it most.

  • Partner with the South Carolina Superintendent of Education to create a Furture of Work initiative that expands K–12 agricultural education, invests in innovation and research, and strengthens workforce development through the state’s technical colleges and land-grant universities. Create clear career pathways through Career and Technical Education (CTE), dual enrollment, apprenticeships, credentials, and continuing education for both traditional and nontraditional students to meet the growing workforce needs of South Carolina agriculture.

  • The Commissioner is charged with promoting the sustainable use of South Carolina’s natural resources. Establish a SC Soil Health Initiative that:

    • Works with Clemson Extension, SC State’s 1890 Extension, and USDA NRCS to expand adoption of cover cropping, reduced tillage, and other soil health practices that reduce input costs and improve long-term farm viability.

    • Creates financial incentives through the ACRE program and federal conservation program funding for farmers who adopt practices that improve soil organic matter, reduce erosion, and protect water quality.

    • Tracks and publicly reports on soil health trends across the state, making SC a leader in agricultural environmental accountability.