This presentation is about the first year of the Community and Regional Food Systems project, which is a USDA-funded research project focused on determining the characteristics and functions of a healthy local/regional food system and how they contribute to increased community food security.
This presentation was originally presented at the 6th Annual Wisconsin Local Food Summit by Lindsey Day Farnsworth and Anne Pfeiffer of UW-Madison.
2. • What innovations in the community and regional food system have you observed?
– Where?
– By whom?
• To what extent is your work already integrated among several of these fields?
• What activities/innovations have the potential to be scaled up (or down)?
• Does the framework resonate with your work?
• What tools do you need to advance your integrated food system work?
Discussion
3. • Five year project funded by USDA-NIFA (National
Institute of Food and Agriculture)
• Integrated Project: research, education, and outreach
• People: researchers, producers, advocates,
educators, lenders, policy-makers, and more
CRFS Project Overview
4. What are the characteristics and functions of a
healthy CRFS and how do/can they contribute to
increased community food security?
Central Research Question
5. • Understand and test what contributes to the success
of CRFS
• Develop an assessment toolkit and training
programs
• Enable other locales around the country to build
healthy food systems.
Vision
6. Outreach Research
• Growing Power • Characterize complex
Education – workshops and
urban food systems
trainings • Refine, validate,
• PEOPLE program implement the
• University Extension framework
• College internships
– Peer network • Evaluate in and with
• Graduate practicums – Train-the-trainer communities
curriculum – Enhance
communications
– Project evaluation – Identify innovations
and community – Identify opportunities
assessment for expansion and
– Appropriate, accessib improvement
le resources
Integrated Components
7. • Dynamic, useful framework
– Enhance understanding between researchers, communities, advocates
– Identify community-based innovations and promote successful strategies
– Create tools for community self-assessment
– Understand the intricacies and dynamics of CRFS and how they affect food security
• Youth who are knowledgeable and inspired by CRFS
• Trained participants in CRFS
– Inclusive and targeted training: growers, processors, distributors, marketers, lenders,
advocates, etc.
– Tools and methods for community self-assessment
– Disseminating successful strategies and innovations
Anticipated Outcomes of CRFS project
8. Characteristics Available Affordable Accessible Appropriate Sustainable
and relate to…
to influence
Food Supply Law and Social Nutrition
Economics
Production Chains Policy Relations & Health
to understand
land food processing markets and capital and community & diet and food
suitability & quality control marketing labor cultural relations behavior
land tenure agricultural transportation business models legal & political food & nutrition exercise and
& economics systems & logistics & management environment education health care
Tools, metrics, models
Food Security Framework
10. • Backyard gardens and
orchards
• Community gardens
• Non-profit and community
organizations
• Commercial production
– Urban
– Peri-urban
Range of Production Scales
11. • Land availability and
affordability
• Long-term stability
• Land use transitions
– Hunger Task Force
– Troy Gardens
Land Tenure
12. • Soil Quality
– soil compaction
– soil contamination – e.g., lead, PAHs
– Compost production-variable quality
• Environment
– water, solar access
– Infrastructure development
• Location
– Proximity to markets
– Public transportation and community
Land Suitability
13. • Vertical farms
• Use of non-traditional spaces
• Seek high production
rate/area
• Small space makes crop
rotation and disease and pest
management challenging.
Innovations on Limited Land
14. Hybridization in business models and supply
chain configuration reflect:
• Scalar variation
• Desire to balance social, environmental & profit goals
The fair pricing dilemma:
Business models that maximize farmer profits
Growing Power vision statement:
often make products too expensive for low- “Inspiring communities to build sustainable
income consumers food systems that are equitable and
ecologically sound, creating a just world,
one food-secure community at a time”
Supply chain & economics
15. Need for aggregation & distribution
systems for small and midsize producers
• Food hubs and incubators
• Scale-appropriate transportation &
logistics
– Traceability
– Temperature-controlled storage
– Efficient route-planning
Graphic courtesy of Local Dirt: localdirt.com
Infrastructure
16. Need for infrastructure and distribution
systems that accommodate small-midsize
buyers:
• Challenges for corner store initiatives
– Purchase volume & price points
– SNAP & WIC implementation
– Cooler storage & display
– Marketing & merchandising
– Façade improvements
Infrastructure www.healthycornerstores.org
17. Innovations in infrastructure and business
SUPPLY-SIDE
Organization Location Business Physical infrastructure Activities
model
Sweet Water Milwaukee, IL Non-profit & Former crane factory Produces and sells fish &
Organics & Sweet for-profit vegetables, provides
Water partners interdisciplinary
Foundation sustainability programming
The Plant Chicago, IL LLC business Former meat-processing Brewery, food/ag business
incubator plant incubator, research and
educational space
5th Season Co-op Viroqua, WI cooperative Former manufacturing Produce aggregation,
plant processing, storage and
distribution food & value-
added food products
DEMAND-SIDE
Organization / Location Business Physical infrastructure Activities
Project model
Fondy Food Milwaukee, WI Non-profit Formerly city owned & Farmers’ market, cooking-
Center operated farmers’ based nutrition education,
market structure, leases a farm for low-income
leased private farmland growers
Around the Milwaukee, WI Private, non- Independently-owned Façade & cold chain
Corner to Better profit, & corner stores infrastructure
Health public sector improvements, marketing
partners and supply chain
development
18. Social & cultural relations
• Food security in urban U.S. is largely an issue of race and class
• Dismantling racism trainings, Growing Food & Justice Initiative
Some factors affecting consumption of whole foods
• Accessibility, availability, appeal of healthy food
• Food culture
• Culinary knowledge
• Time/convenience
Social relations, Health & nutrition
19. • Production subsidies and
standards, regulation of food
processing and transport, and publicly
funded food assistance
• Federal level:
– Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act
– Farm Bill
• Many innovations in CRFS are
Goats at Growing Power, Milwaukee, WI
occurring at the local level
Law and policy
20. Innovations in the legal & political environment
POLICY Land use Economic Licensing & Programs &
controls development regulation services
COMPONENT incentives
Production Urban Local food Permit on-site Vegetable
Agriculture procurement produce sales at gardening classes
ordinances policies market gardens & resources
Processing Industrial Agricultural Promote laws Provide cooking &
retention via processing permitting limited food preservation
zoning & renaissance zones sales of home- classes
comprehensive processed foods
planning
Distribution Flexible zoning USDA “geographic Grocery store Establish farmers’
for grocery stores preference” option attraction incentives markets on city-
in under-served increases local food owned land
areas in schools
Consumption Long-term leases CDBG funding to Streamline licensing EBT machines for
for community increase produce at requirements for WIC/SNAP at
gardens corners stores farm markets & farmers’ markets
produce carts
Resources & Align Mandatory Separate ag and Municipal
Waste state/municipal recycling and solid waste regs/ household
composting land composting permitting composting
Management
use regulations requirements program
21. • Management
– Workforce
– Inputs
– Balancing social, environmental, financial goals
• Technical Assistance
– Access to information
– Skills and background
• Policy and Zoning
– Limitations on infrastructure and production
– Lack of coordination across scales and types of regulatory bodies
• Need for Evaluation
– What types of CRFS initiatives and policies have proven successful? By whose standards?
– What are appropriate measures of different CRFS goals?
Overarching Issues
22. • Responsive Community Engagement Projects
– Community driven
– 3 month-1 year commitment
• Framework-based research
– Community and stakeholder interviews
– Field trials
• Training and education
– Webinars
– Workshops
– Resource materials
Next steps
24. • What innovations in the community and regional food system have you observed?
– Where?
– By whom?
• To what extent is your work already integrated among several of these fields?
• What activities/innovations have the potential to be scaled up (or down)?
• Does the framework resonate with your work?
• What tools do you need to advance your integrated food system work?
Discussion
-year 1 focus on relationship building and ground truthing-recognizes many existing projects-goal is not to replicate but build on and synthesize.
In planning this presentation, we expect that the most interesting and useful part of this session will come as a result of your input, ideas, and perspective so we plan to leave significant time at the end for discussion. As we go through the presentation, please be thinking about these questions for discussion at the end. Since the project takes a very holistic approach, we’d like to save in depth discussion until the end but please do ask questions at any time.
Through in-depth research, this project aims to understand and test what contributes to the success of a Community and Regional Food System. Using this knowledge, we will develop an assessment toolkit and training programs that promote success in case study locations and enable other locales around the country to build healthy food systems.
Growing Power From the Ground Up weekend workshopsRegional Outreach Training CenterCommercial Urban AgricultureUniversity ExtensionPeer network, community of practiceTrain-the-trainer curriculumProject evaluation and community assessmentAppropriate, accessible resources
Vertical farmsUse of non-traditional spacesIndustrial buildingsRoof-topsPaved lotsSeek high production rate/areaHigh value cropsMultiple crops per season or year round productionAquaponicsSmall space makes crop rotation and disease and pest management challenging.
Themes have emerged in business and supply chain arenas1st: hybridization due to A) size range of operations B) variation in organizational objectivesMost have social, environmental, and profit objectives—Ex. Growing Power’s vision statementBut prioritize them differently—Ex. Growing Home puts workforce development first, others focus on production/environmental sustainability An org’s primary focus affects its funding sources and market orientation—Fair pricing dilemmaInfrastructural implications depending on value/market orientation of a given organization
Production:Need for aggregation/distribution systems for small and mid-scale producersFamiliar w graphic from Local Dirt—depicts the challenge of distribution when sourcing from small farms—Progress in aggregation in rural areas/regional scale—similar issues arise for urban producers with higher numbers of smaller production sitesFood hubs (Ex. 5th season co-op) fill aggregation/processing needs—urban food incubators could serve same functionsAlso, scale-appropriate transport/logistics are challenges for small and mid-scale businesses—Researching how regional scale innovations -> inform urban food systems
Parallel but distinct challenges on the retail/consumption end of the supply chain—particularly for those seeking to improve healthy food offerings to low-income households:Corner store initiatives across U.S. working to link households with fresh product—local & conventionally-sourced produceRun through listHealthy Stores Project
Matrix lays out some orgs/innovations in infrastructure and business—you can see:1) Hybridization in business models2) Mixture of for-profit, educational, environmental and social goals reflected in activitiesBut—divide b/n initiatives prioritizing local food and food access—not always true, but pattern we’ve observedChallenge: understanding extent to which these issues can/are being bridged
With respect to social relation and health and nutrition—and they are really getting short shrift here—Some of the significant issues are the:Race and class dimension of the inequalities in the food system—and these are addressed quite pointedly by a number of organizations active in food system reform through dismantling racism trainings and initiatives like Growing Food and JusticeAnd relatedly, healthy eating practices are deeply tied to cultural and economic factors—run through list- Mention project’s work in South Milwaukee
Last topic: law and policy-Which regulate everything from production to food assistanceSignificant federal legislation:CNRFarm Bill—significant this year—for more sign up on sign-in sheetHowever, lots of creative stuff is happening and the local level ANDSuccessful local experiments often work their way up to state and federal policies…
At local level,Law and policy innovations are evident at every stage of food system—PRODUCTION to CONSUMPTION—AND manifest in a variety of forms including: ZONING ECON DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES LICENSING/REGULATIONS PROGRAMMING This year, we’ll assess the impacts of some of these policies
ManagementWorkforceInputsFinancial (especially when balanced with social and environmental goals)Wide variability in management and decisions making structures (from committee, consensus, to single leader doing all of seeding personally)Financial analysis/profitability/variable funding sourcesReliance on a variety of free materials used as available—plant starts, wood chips, compost, even labor. All of these resources can be unpredictable, making planning difficult.Balancing demands of high quality production with other organizational goalsTechnical AssistanceDon’t access or can’t find easy to understand information-varied relationship with universitiesMany farm and garden managers don’t have ag background or formal training in related fieldSkill level of untrained labor may dictate crops grown. Sometimes use professional staff for particular jobs.Policy and Zoning - Zoning restrictions and limited resources limit production decisions such as building a tool shed or hoop house, and animal husbandry. - Many CRFS activities are funded and administered by a wide range of public departments resulting in lack of coordinationNeed for Evaluation Many of these initiatives and policies are relatively new, but they are proliferating quickly—planners, policy makers, researchers and practitioners are seeking more information about what is really working and by what standards
Discuss with Anne
In planning this presentation, we expect that the most interesting and useful part of this session will come as a result of your input, ideas, and perspective so we plan to leave significant time at the end for discussion. As we go through the presentation, please be thinking about these questions for discussion at the end. Since the project takes a very holistic approach, we’d like to save in depth discussion until the end but please do ask questions at any time.