We’re accepting session proposals for the 2025 TN Local Food Summit
This beloved event, entering its 15th year, unites farmers, ranchers, food system advocates, and professionals to foster a resilient and equitable local food network in Tennessee and the Southeast region.
Conference Dates
December 5-7, 2025| Nashville, TN
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 18, 2025.
Notice of proposal status: June 16, 2025.
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 2025 theme, Healing Land, Healing Communities, highlights the transformative power of sustainable farming. We’ll focus on how agriculture can restore the land, rejuvenate local communities, and promote health and well-being.
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:
Soil and Ecosystem Health
Crop Planning and Production Techniques
Animal Husbandry (e.g., dairy, meat, fiber)
Agroforestry (e.g., alley cropping, silvopasture, riparian buffers)
Indigenous Knowledge and Practices
Seed Keeping and Biodiversity
Land Access and Tenure
Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation
Markets and Marketing
Business, Finance, and Entrepreneurship
Equity and Social Justice in the Food System
Farmer and Community Health and Well-being
Farm-to-School, Farm-to-Institution Programs
Farm-based Education
Food and Farm Policy, Advocacy, and Community Organizing
Food Culture and Skills (e.g., value-added products, preservation, fermentation)
Storytelling in Agriculture
Value Chain Coordination
Processing, Aggregation, and Distribution
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 system practitioner as part of the speaker lineup.
Standard Sessions (60 minutes)
We recommend allotting at least 20 minutes for Q&A or discussion.
You may submit multiple proposals for standard sessions intended to build on each other. Please keep the following in mind:
Attendees may attend only part of the series, so design each session to accommodate both newcomers and those following the entire series.
The title should clearly indicate that the session is part of a series and specify the distinction between each part (e.g., Tomatoes Part 1: Soil & Nutrient Management and Tomatoes Part 2: Pests & Disease).
Creative Session Formats
We welcome creative formats, including hands-on workshops, collaborative presentations, conversational sessions, and other interactive activities.
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.
These proposal guidelines were adapted from PASA Sustainable Agriculture Conference.