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2026 TN LOCAL FOOD SUMMIT

Call for Proposals

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We Want To Hear Your Ideas!

The Tennessee Local Food Summit steering committee is seeking session proposals for the 2026 Summit. The event will take place December 4-6, 2026 in Nashville, TN.

Please review our Call for Proposal Guidelines below before submitting an application.

Proposals will be accepted through May 22, 2026.

Submit proposal

Call for Proposal Guidelines

Conference Goals

  • Provide high-quality training and education to support farmers, local food system professionals, and advocates.

  • Highlight peer-to-peer learning, centering farmers as the teachers.

  • Create space for meaningful connections to be made across the food system 

  • Advance an equitable community-based food system

Proposal Selection

We welcome you to contact us for feedback on your ideas prior to submission. Please contact info@tnlocalfood.org or 901-626-7760. 

We work with a volunteer steering committee to organize conference programming that meets the needs of our diverse audiences. Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Consistency with our organizational mission to advance resiliency and equity in our local food system

  • Alignment with our conference goals

  • Relevant experience of presenter(s)

  • Relevance of topic to our audience

  • Thoroughness of the proposal submission

If your session is accepted, you’ll be required to review speaker guidelines and expectations. You may also be asked to meet with TNLF staff. Additional details, including session and speaker info, registration, and your presentation slideshow, must be submitted prior to the event.

Proposal Evaluation and Selection Timeline

Deadline to submit proposals: May 22, 2026.

Notice of proposal status: June 24, 2026.

You will be notified of your selection status on or before this date.

About Our Attendees

Farmers and Aspiring Farmers

Approximately 50% of our conference attendees are current farmers or producers. Most of these farmers and food producers identify as small to mid-size, and they come from a range of locations, from urban to rural areas.

Food System Professionals and Changemakers

Our conference also aims to bridge the gap between farmers, food system professionals, and communities committed to environmental conservation and food justice. Our attendees include value-added producers, agriculture and food system professionals, educators and researchers, policymakers, and advocates.

Program Focus

Our goal is to develop a program that reflects 50% farmer-focused sessions and 50% community food strategies for a more just and sustainable food system. 

We are open to proposals on any relevant topic, but our primary areas of interest include:

  • Agroforestry (e.g., alley cropping, silvopasture, riparian buffers)

  • Animal Husbandry (e.g., dairy, meat, fiber)

  • Business, Finance, and Entrepreneurship

  • Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation

  • Community Engagement, Organizing, and Food Access

  • Crop Planning and Production Techniques

  • Equity and Social Justice in the Food System

  • Farm Technology, Infrastructure, and Appropriate Innovation

  • Farm-based Education

  • Farmer and Community Health and Well-being

  • Farm-to-School, Farm-to-Institution Programs

  • Food and Farm Policy, Advocacy, and Community Organizing

  • Food as Medicine

  • Food Culture and Skills (e.g., value-added products, preservation, fermentation)

  • Food System Design, Collaboration, and Collective Models

  • Indigenous Knowledge and Practices

  • Land Access and Tenure

  • Markets and Marketing

  • Processing, Aggregation, and Distribution

  • Resources for Beginning Farmers and Farm Start-Ups

  • Seed Keeping and Biodiversity

  • Soil and Ecosystem Health

  • Storytelling in Agriculture

  • Urban Agriculture & Small-Scale Growing

  • Value Chain Coordination

* We’re excited to offer a Youth Track at the 2026 Summit! If you’re interested in designing an engaging session for youth audiences, we encourage you to apply.

Session Formats and Length

All individual sessions, regardless of format, can include up to four presenters. For most topics, we strongly encourage including a farmer or food-systems practitioner in the speaker lineup.

  • Standard Sessions (60 minutes) – We strongly recommend you allocate at least 20 minutes for Q&A or discussion.

  • 60-minute session (series): a group of two or three sessions that are designed in succession, where content and information build on each other. Please submit a proposal for each 60-min session in the series

  • Intensive session: We will offer a limited number of intensive sessions. These sessions will be three hours long and will include a 15-minute break at the midpoint.

You may submit multiple proposals for standard sessions intended to build on one another. Please keep in mind:

  • Attendees may only attend part of the series, so please design each session to accommodate newcomers as well as those who are following the series

  • The title should indicate that this is part of a series, as well as the distinction between each part of the series (e.g., Tomatoes Part 1: Soil & Nutrient Management and Tomatoes Part 2: Pests & Disease)

Creative session formats, including hands-on workshops, collaborative presentations, conversational sessions, and other interactive activities, are welcome.

Speaker Support

We deeply value the knowledge, experience, and insights that our speakers bring to the conference. As a thank you for presenting and sharing, we offer full conference registration (including meals) to all speakers.

Guidelines for Requesting Additional Support

As a nonprofit education organization, we try to stretch our budget as far as possible to maximize the impact of our program. We also understand that some speakers may need additional support to participate in our conference.

When submitting your proposal, you will have the opportunity to request additional support. Please be specific in your requests, and we will do our best to accommodate them. However, please note that we cannot provide support to speakers who represent companies that are sponsoring or exhibiting at the conference.

Important: All requests for additional support must be submitted with your proposal. TNLF may be unable to fulfill requests made after a session has been selected and scheduled.

Travel Expenses
If you are traveling more than 50 miles one way, we will consider requests to cover travel costs. Please include the total amount requested and describe what the funds would cover. We may provide reimbursement for mileage at the federal rate or for airfare.

Lodging Requests
For speakers traveling more than 50 miles one way, we may be able to cover lodging expenses. Typically, we can offer one night of lodging per day of speaking.

Speaking Stipends
Limited funding is available to cover speaker fees.

For any questions or feedback on proposal ideas, please contact info@tnlocalfood.org or 901-626-7760.

Submit a Proposal

These proposal guidelines were adapted from PASA Sustainable Agriculture Conference.