A roundtable discussion at the Pickering Demonstration Garden in Issaquah next Thursday, Aug. 11 will give residents a chance to learn more about the importance of growing fresh produce in King County.

The Sustainable Cities Round Table, put on by King County GreenTools and the King County-Cities Climate Collaboration, will feature speakers from the Farm King County program, the Pike Place Market Foundation and City Fruit in a brown bag lunch discussion from 12 to 1:30 p.m.

Patrice Barrentine of Farm King County will present on the county’s efforts to preserve farmland and help farmers to keep producing local fruits and vegetables. The Local Food Initiative, begun in 2014, is an effort by the county, partnered with private and public sector corporations, academic organizations and nonprofits to “grow the local food economy and increase access to healthy food for low-income families,” summarized Mike Lufkin, the county’s local food economy manager.

Lufkin, who focuses on the “growing the local food economy” portion of the job, said that there are four main facets of the venture: land access, technical assistance, water rights and infrastructure/marketing.

Holding on to farmland in a county of bustling and growing cities is no easy feat, but the county’s goal is to preserve 400 acres per year. Last year, King County preserved 462 acres of land and “restored another 147 to farm production,” Lufkin said.

To provide technical assistance to farmers, the county set up the website farmkingcounty.org, which Lufkin calls a “one-stop resource for farmers.” The free service provides advice over the phone and internet for farmers who have questions, and puts people looking to buy and sell farmland in touch with one another.

“We’ve gathered resources across the country … condensed and presented them in a way that’s easily accessible,” Lufkin said. “Because we want farmers farming, not searching the internet for answers … It will help the farming community be more efficient.”

The county also aids farmers in figuring out who has legal water rights so as to prevent wasting water and keep water in streams and rivers. Lufkin said that the county is trying to find ways to bring water to farmers that are “creative and innovative solutions.”

Finally, the infrastructure and marketing goal is to get more and more institutions (such as cafeterias in schools, hospitals and workplaces) to place large orders of produce through local farmers. Though King County residents spend $6 billion on food per year, only $120 million of that — 2 percent — goes to locally-produced food.

“Farming is part of our community and our history — I and many others don’t want to see that go away,” Lufkin said. “It’s part of who we are.”

Dana Gould, the Pike Place Market Foundation’s Food Access Project coordinator, will discuss how the foundation concentrates on making food and education about nutrition accessible to low-income families. Gould said that Pike Place Market is located in an area of Seattle with “one of the highest levels of poverty and homelessness.”

The Pike Place Market Foundation participates in the Fresh Bucks Program, which aims to help people on food stamps access healthy foods. If people use food stamps to buy fresh produce at Pike Place Market, the amount they spend is matched up to $10 that they can use to buy more produce; they can do this once per day at each participating farmers market in Seattle.

Shopping at farmers markets is important because “there’s more of an opportunity to talk with the person selling the food … it makes it a learning experience as well as a shopping experience,” Gould said.

Through the Farm to Go program, the foundation delivers bags of produce to downtown preschools that serve low-income families, in order to save busy parents some time while still ensuring their families receive healthy foods. The foundation also donates all of the food grown at the Market’s Urban Garden to the Pike Place Market Senior Center and Food Bank.

Educating people about healthy eating is another of the foundation’s biggest missions. At the foundation’s community kitchen, located inside the market, families can attend free weekly nutrition and healthy cooking classes, monthly community lunches and family fun nights.

“Prices are rising across the county … it’s harder and harder to afford basic needs,” Gould said. “But in reality, local healthy foods sustain the local food system.”

Kate Morrison of City Fruit will speak about how the Seattle nonprofit “harvests fruit, maintains trees and promotes the use of urban fruit.” The group takes fruit grown on trees in the city and donates it to food banks.

“It’s a win for the community — trees are maintained,” Morrison said. “And it’s a win for the people who go to food banks and need a nutritious snack.”

Morrison explained that many King County residents live in what are known as food deserts — areas where there are no farmers markets or grocery stores selling fresh produce within easy reach. Food desert residents who have limited travel access may have to rely on mini-marts or small stores that don’t have a selection of healthy options, such as fresh fruits and vegetables.

“Getting access to healthy food shouldn’t be hard,” Morrison said.