! Exciting change is on the horizon in Kentucky – change that has tremendous potential to revitalize Kentucky’s rural and urban communities. This potential lies in creating LIFE (locally integrated food economies). LIFE has the power to enhance the state’s fiscal and cultural vitality by bringing fresh, nutritious food from local farms to Kentucky’s citizens and by generating opportunities for Kentucky farmers to prosper from their land. LIFE unites urban and rural citizens by creating innovative economic opportunities through a new dynamic of cooperation.

This Community Farm Alliance (CFA) report, Bringing Kentucky’s Food and Farm Economy Home, is an attempt to establish where Kentucky agriculture is now, what important changes have taken place over the last 20 years, and a vision of potential economic revitalization for Kentucky’s rural and urban areas. Documenting the nature of Kentucky’s present food economy and suggesting areas for improvement is essential to the statewide food system planning now underway.