No matter where they live, every Kansas resident has at least one thing in common: They all eat.

And because of that, an official with the Kansas Local Food Systems program at Kansas State University says all Kansans share a similar challenge.

“When we think about access to food, it’s an issue across the state,” said Amanda Lindahl, the program coordinator with Kansas Local Food Systems. “And having the ability to access healthy, fresh and local food is an issue, regardless if you are in a rural area or an urban area.”

Nearly two years ago, Kansas State University landed a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop a partnership of organizations that could support resilient local and regional food systems throughout Kansas.

Lindahl said one of the early projects was to host community roundtables across the state to learn what Kansans believed were the primary challenges in their local food system.

“We wanted to ask Kansans where they think they’re at in their local food system, where they want to go and how K-State can better serve them within our role of being connected to every country through the extension system,” Lindahl said.

“As the state’s land-grant university, we know that we have a pivotal role in connecting with Kansas communities and helping to move them forward. From the data we gathered, we’ve identified some common themes from Kansans , and concrete goals that they want to see take shape in their local food system.”

K-State’s Local Food Systems program has subsequently developed partnerships with numerous organizations, boosting such groups as the Kansas Local Foods Cooperative and the Heartland Regional Food Business Center.

In 2024, Kansas Local Food Systems also funded 16 fellowships for individuals to implement local food programs in their communities – and get paid for doing it. Some examples of the local-level work done in the past year include a Second Chance Breakfast program at Thunder Ridge High School in Kensington; marketing and support for the farmers market in Allen County; and a project to update an online food wholesale and buyer directory in Bourbon County.

“Our work with the Kansas Local Food Systems program is to be a connector and collaborator,” Lindahl said, “and we’ve been able to partner with a number of institutions as well as programs within K-State Research and Extension to provide the best support for Kansans that are growing food and wanting to take part in the local food retail space.”

Later this month – Aug. 27-28 – the program will host the first-ever Kansas Local Food Summit in Wichita. Registration is available online and is open to all people interested in learning more about – or contributing to – their local food system.

The cost is $50, which includes materials, reception on Aug. 27, and lunch on Aug. 28.

“We’re hoping this is a place where people can feel energized,engaged, and ready to take part in building a stronger local food system in their own community,” Lindahl said.

More information is also available online at www.ksre.k-state.edu/kansaslocalfoods/local-food-summit