About The Midlands Local Food Collaborative (MLFC)
The Midlands Local Food Collaborative was formed in 2012 as a partnership between local government, academic, and non-profit organizations whose common goal was to promote a vibrant and sustainable local food system in the eight-county region known as the SC Midlands. The working group now includes participants from thirteen federal, state, local, academic, and non-profit organizations who meet monthly to coordinate regional food system efforts.
Mission: The MLFC's mission is to cultivate a sustainable local food system, foster land stewardship, and increase equitable food access in the Midlands by:
- Engaging and educating the community about food system issues
- Strengthening the local food economy through infrastructure developments in coordination with regional and state efforts
- Advancing policies in support of local food systems and organizing stakeholders around these issues
- Increasing access to healthy food while creating small farmer opportunity
- Increasing sustainable food production through education, technical and financial assistance
Participants:
- Richland County Conservation Department
- Richland Soil and Water Conservation District
- Central Midlands Council of Governments
- Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Government
- Midlands Food Alliance
- Sustainable Midlands
- Carolina Farm Stewardship Association
- Clemson University Cooperative Extension
- USC Center for Research in Nutrition and Health Disparities
- USC Darla Moore School of Business Economics Department
- John M. Newman Planning
- Matson Consulting
- SC Department of Agriculture
- South Carolina Agricultural Council
- USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service
- USDA-Farm Service Agency
- USDA-Rural Development
Brochure: Download MLFC Brochure >>
Region: The region known as the SC Midlands is centered around Columbia, SC and encompasses portions of the state’s lower piedmont, sandhills, and coastal plain. Included in the Midlands are tracts of unspoiled natural beauty, areas of rich farm- and pasture-land, as well as highly urbanized and suburbanized corridors. These maps provide an overview of the region’s geography: