Strengthening Community Food Systems – Discussion / Brainstorming WLFN and UWEX November 17, 2014

Who’s on the call? UWEX Community Food Systems Team: The CFS Team works to increase Extension’s capacity to work with community food systems in an integrated, systemic, and coordinated manner. The team includes members from all program areas. Wisconsin Local Food Network: The WLFN is a grassroots organization that engages, connects, and empowers local, regional, and state organizations and individuals to build sustainable, equitable, and resilient food systems.

Relationship between WLFN and UWEX. UWEX obtained funding for first WI Local Food Summit in At that summit, the WLFN was formed and some UWEX folks served on the volunteer steering committee. Over the years, UWEX staff have participated on the WLFN board of directors, and are involved in the summit and regional meetings.

Community Food System “A ‘community food system’ is one in which sustainable food production, processing, distribution and consumption and integrated to enhance the environmental, economic and social and nutritional health of a particular place” Feenstra and Garrett, 1999, Growing a Community Food System

Collective Impact Substantially greater progress could be made in alleviating many of our most serious and complex social problems if nonprofits, governments, businesses, and the public were brought together around a common agenda to create collective impact. Source: FSG / CI Forum

Collective Impact occurs when organizations from different sectors agree to solve a specific social problem using a common agenda, aligning their efforts, and using common measures of success. – CI Forum Collective Impact

Regional Food Systems Planning According to the American Planning Association, “community food system planning is the collaborative planning process of developing and implementing local and regional land-use, economic development, public health, and environmental goals, programs and policies” to preserve, promote, support, and facilitate community food system development.

How do we plan? Assess, analyze and inventory characteristics of the food system to understand assets and challenges (e.g. community food system assessment) Educate community members to put everyone on equal ground (e.g. through meetings and activities) Build partnerships and consensus (e.g. through facilitated discussions) Engage the community in visioning, goal-setting, and implementation planning to focus efforts on top priorities (e.g. in a strategic plan for a regional coalition or local government plans) Develop local and regional policies to strengthen the community food system Inspired by APA Quicknotes: Food Systems Planning

What could food systems collaboration in Wisconsin look like? Iowa Food System Example State is divided into roughly 15 geographical regions Key entities that collaboratively support each region’s local food systems work Iowa State University Extension and Outreach (ISUEO) Regional Food System Working Groups supported by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture RC&D Councils supported by the Iowa League of Resource Conservation and Development

Northeast Iowa Leopold Center Regional Food System Working Groups Northeast Iowa Food and Farm Coalition RC&D Councils: funded food expansion plans Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative (W.K. Kellogg Foundation Food & Community program) Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Regional Food Systems Program Coordinator Food System Value Chain Coordinator

Local Food Expansion Plans Each plan brings together partners in the region to set goals, strategies, and recommendations

Discussion Questions How can WLFN and UWEX work together to strengthen community food system work? Would regional food systems planning be useful? Would it lead to action? Are regions interested in this type of effort? Are there barriers to working together?