The New York Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NYSAWG) fosters and promotes sustainable agriculture practices and sustainable local food systems. Our goal is to ensure equitable, affordable access to fresh, nutritious foods for all people at all times in New York State.

Small family farms in New York provide an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the Summer and Fall.

Low-income neighborhoods in particular lack access to fresh, local food and suffer most from the economic and health disparities that accompany lack of food access. Both inner city neighborhood residents and rural residents now incur considerable expense to purchase simple, basic food for their families to consume at home.

Yet, virtually every region within New York State and throughout the United States has the capacity to produce basic food products. Ironically, small family farms—those most threatened by the dominance of the industrial food system—can produce the diversity of vegetables, fruit, grains, dairy products, and livestock using low-input sustainable production practices that people need for the healthiest diet. These small farmers can serve local markets in local neighborhoods and villages near their farms with good, clean, healthy, whole food. Creating these local markets will meet the "triple bottom line" benchmark of social entrepreneurship: Economic benefit, environmental benefit and social benefit.

At NYSAWG we have accepted and taken on the enormous challenges involved in building the trading linkages and networks that make the production and exchange of local food both possible and profitable for all trading partners and the people they serve. We manage an innovative marketing campaign for local food, the nationally recognized Buy Fresh, Buy Local campaign. We provide local food system assessment and planning services. We offer education and training for farmers to serve local markets. We collaborate with small-scale food processors to ensure a year-round steady supply of preserved fruits and vegetables from the abundant harvest. And we work with national partners to develop practice-driven policy at the local, state and federal levels to serve the needs of local farmers, food producers and consumers. With these inputs from NYSAWG, local food systems can grow, prosper, and nourish the economic, environmental and social health of our communities.