Dara Bloom, PhD

Bio

Dara Bloom is an associate professor and Local Foods Extension Specialist at NC State University. She is also Assistant Director of Community Based Food Systems for the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS). Dara was inspired by her time doing community gardening on the US/Mexican border to learn about the structure and policies of the larger agri-food system, as well as how community-based projects can enhance local food security. Dara earned her degree in Rural Sociology at Penn State University, with a focus on the Sociology of Agriculture and Food Systems. Her graduate research revolved around the challenges and opportunities of “scaling up” local food systems, including the interactions between social, environmental, and economic values as alternative movements are incorporated into conventional systems. Her current work includes providing support through Cooperative Extension and CEFS to develop local food value chains as part of community-based local food projects that integrate low-resource consumers and support local farmers. This has included exploring how to strengthen immigrant/refugee communities’ capacity to participate in local food production and preparation, and how to connect food pantries with local food sources. The majority of her research/extension efforts currently focus on developing Farm to Institution value chains, including those that connect farmers/food hubs to child care programs in Farm to ECE initiatives, as well as examining mechanisms to coordinate among multiple Farm to Institution programs.

Programs and Initiatives

• Extension Master Food Volunteer Program
• Local Food Online Course
• Farm to Early Care and Education
• Farm to Senior Services

Primary Teaching Responsibilities

• AEHS 590: Intro to Local Foods

Contributing Websites

• http://localfood.ces.ncsu.edu/food-access-food-security/
• https://fcs.ces.ncsu.edu/master-food-volunteers/
• Farm to Early Care and Education (Farm to ECE) Local Food Buying Guides for Child Care Programs, Technical Assistance Providers, and Farmers/Food Hubs  https://go.ncsu.edu/farm2ecelocalfood
• Local Food Online Course https://www.localfoodcourses.org/courses

Professional Honors/Offices/Recognitions

• 2018: Rural Sociological Society Early Career Award
• 2018: NC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Specialist Award
• 2018: North Carolina Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, Excellence in Teamwork Award, Extension Master Food Volunteer Program
• 2018: North Carolina Association of Cooperative Extension Specialists, Outstanding Subject Matter Program by a Team Award, Extension Master Food Volunteer Program
• 2018: North Carolina Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, Family Health and Wellness Award, Cooking Local Foods Made Simple Agent Training

Selected Publications

• Wallace II, H. M., Jayaratne, K. S. U., Warner, W., Bloom, J., & McKeown, J. (2025). Agricultural Extension Agents’ Current Usage of Social Media in Extension Work and Challenges They Face. The Journal of Extension, 63(4), Article 15. https://open.clemson.edu/joe/vol63/iss4/15
• Bloom, J. D.,Yates, D., Templeton, G., Brinkmeyer, E., & Hundley, C. (2025). Failure to launch: An analysis of an attempted central kitchen pilot program to serve childcare meals. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 14(2), 431–448. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2025.142.015
• Dankbar, H., Long, C., Bloom, D., Hohenshell, K., Brinkmeyer, E., & Miller, B. (2023). Applying emerging core competencies to extension training courses for local food system practitioners. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 12(2), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2023.122.007
• Bloom, D., Boys, K., Shisler, R. C., Dunning, R., Hundley, C., & Yates, D. (2022). Exploring Models of Local Food Procurement in Farm to Early Care and Education Programs. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, 10(1), 3. https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/jhse/vol10/iss1/3 
• Ammons, S., Blacklin, S., Bloom, D., Brown, S., Cappellazzi, M., Creamer, N., … Ukah, B. (2021). A collaborative approach to COVID-19 response: The Center for Environmental Farming Systems community-based food system initiatives. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2021.102.004
• Bloom, J.D., (2020). “Spiraling up”: Using ripple effect mapping to evaluate how an extension volunteer program increases community development capacity. Community Development, 1-20.
• Bloom, J. D.,Lelekacs, J., Hofing, G., Stout, R., Marshall, M., & Davis, K. (2020). Integrating Food Systems and Local Food in Family and Consumer Sciences: Perspectives from the Pilot Extension Master Food Volunteer Program. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 9(2), 197-220. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2020.092.013
• Dunning, R., Bloom, J. D., & Brinkmeyer, E. (2020). Making a Market for On-farm Food Loss: Exploring Food Banks as a Market for Southeastern Produce. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 9(2), 185-195. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2020.092.014
• Bloom, J. D., Hardison-Moody, A., & Schulman, M. (2018). Bonding and bridging: Leveraging immigrant and refugee community assets to support healthy eating. Community Development, 1–20.
• Bloom, J. D., Lelekacs, J. M., Dunning, R., Piner, A., & Brinkmeyer, E. (2017). Local Food Systems Course for Extension Educators in North Carolina: Summary of an Innovative Program. Journal of Extension,55(4). Retrieved from https://www.joe.org/joe/2017august/iw2.php

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Area(s) of Expertise

• Local Food Systems
• Food Access to Community-Based Food Systems
• Value Chains and Supply Chain Governance