§ 15-4-3806 — Promotion

(a) The Department of Agriculture may use its internet resources to: (1) Promote, create, and expand local farm and food economies in this state; (2) Maintain a list of local farm or food products and the providers of local farm or food products; and (3) Facilitate compliance with this subchapter. (b) (1) The Department of Agriculture shall establish a program coordinator position, which shall be responsible for developing partnerships among vendors, agencies, and providers of local farm or food products to support the goals of this subchapter. (2) The program coordinator shall: (A) Support and assist providers of local farm or food products in: (i) Developing a business plan; (ii) Gaining access to agencies, distribution networks, and food service operators; and (iii) Using available resources, including without limitation public and private entities; (B) Be a resource for agencies to use to assist in tracking and reporting their progress in satisfying the procurement goals stated in this subchapter; (C) Be a liaison between agencies and providers of local farm or food products to facilitate access to local farm or food products; (D) Encourage and facilitate involvement and participation in the Farm to School Program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture by working with providers of local farm or food products, vendors, and distributors to assess the need for and availability of local farm and food products; (E) Cooperate with the Department of Agriculture and providers of local farm or food products to promote, encourage, and increase participation in the Arkansas Grown program administered by the Department of Agriculture; and (F) Work with distributors to ensure that: (i) Local farm or food products are available for purchase and distribution to an agency; (ii) A list of local farm or food products is available for an agency; and (iii) A report is provided to the agency that lists the local farm or food products purchased and the dollar amount spent on the purchase of the local farm or food products.

Legislative History

Amended by Act 2019, No. 796,§ 5, eff. 7/24/2019. Amended by Act 2019, No. 910,§ 50, eff. 7/1/2019. Added by Act 2017, No. 617,§ 1, eff. 8/1/2017.