April Member of the Month- Arkansas Sustainability Network

The Arkansas Sustainability Network began in 2006 as a small 501(c)3 nonprofit with optimistic and wide-ranging goals. Over the past six years we have provided promotion and support to numerous creative and environmental ventures including green expos, youth projects, and bicycle repair initiatives. Recently, we have narrowed our mission and focus on one thing that brings everyone together: food. To that end, we have become the Arkansas Local Food Network. We believe that everyone in The Natural State should have access to fresh, local foods and we strive to achieve that goal in a multitude of ways.

Our primary initiative is an online farmers’ market, informally known as the Local Food Club.  The online market connects more than thirty Arkansas farms to over 300 members. Each week the market offers fresh, local fruits and vegetables, pastured eggs and meats, honey, nuts, herbs, mushrooms, as well as locally made cheeses and baked goods. Local artisans supply items such as soaps and candles. We’ve recently added a third pick up day each week to accommodate the growing demand for convenient access to local food and goods.

Innovative programs of the online market include purchasing for Our House and Gaines House shelters and a partnership with Conway Locally Grown to provide micro-financing to farmers and community leaders.  For more information, check out the market at littlerock.locallygrown.net.

ALFN sponsors Felder Farm, an educational market-garden located at Hamilton Middle School. The farm serves as a place to teach children about good, nutritious food and involve them in the art and science of food cultivation. Felder Farm educational programs connect academic disciplines from art and science to math and reading to the most basic of human acts—growing and eating food. For more information email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Another sponsored organization, The Central Arkansas New Agrarian Society (CANAS), aims to cultivate urban agriculture in central Arkansas by serving as a network of communication and cooperation. CANAS recognizes the fragile nature of the industrial food system and aims to address the needs of vulnerable populations with urban mini-farms like the 0.25 acre Victory Garden Project. These farms provide land access to surrounding residents as well as knowledge, tools, and resources that empower residents and increase self-sufficiency. Ultimately, CANAS desires to instill in the community the beauty and necessity of a closed-loop, local, and democratic food system. To find out more email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

In the coming years, Arkansas Local Food Network will continue to support and encourage new and existing farms, gardens, and food projects and to strengthen Arkansas farmers, artisans and communities. We believe in sustainable development as a creative process that balances human economic and social needs with the requirements of the natural world upon which all life depends. With multiple projects and collaborations in the works, the future of ALFN and Arkansas looks bright. Find out more about all that we do at our main website: arlocalfoodnetwork.org.