Lorain officials outline plan to use urban agriculture, controlled‑environment farms to expand local food access

Pamela Carter, chair of the Federal Programs Committee, opened a presentation on a partnership called Food Forward Lorain that city staff and nonprofit partners described as a coordinated, multi‑partner plan to expand local food access and local food production.

The partnership — led by the city, Lorain County Public Health and Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio — is using a 2023 USDA urban agriculture planning grant “of just over $200,000” to evaluate the local food system, identify zoning and policy barriers, assess sites and recommend implementation steps, city and health‑department staff said. "We work to evaluate the local food system, increase coordination, identify solutions to problems, help with implementation, and, of course, promote positive outcomes," said Catherine Laveridge, population health strategist at Lorain County Public Health.

The discussion matters locally because presenters framed urban agriculture as both a food‑access strategy and a potential economic development tool that could produce jobs and taxable economic activity if implemented at scale. "We see this as an economic driver," said Hannah…