The Association of European Schools of Planning is announcing their 7th International AESOP Sustainable Food Planning Conference on localizing urban food strategies.  The conference is being hosted by the Polytechnic University of Turin and will take place on October 7th-9th in Torino, Italy. The conference will provide opportunity for cross disciplinary dialogue, networking and identification of important and emerging research related to sustainable food planning.  International cross-disciplinary researchers in the fields of planning, agronomy, design, geography and administration  and more will attend as well as new and early career researchers. The conference has a dual goal of ‘farming cities’ and ‘performing rurality’ to highlight innovative roles for agriculture in the cities while equally supporting the important role of agriculture in rural areas. The conference will be organized by five tracks: spatial planning and urban design, governance and private entrepreneurship, relevant experience and practice, training and jobs, and flows and network.   Abstracts will be accepted until May 31sth via the AESOP website and students and young scholars are encouraged to apply. 

Growing Food Connections is excited to announce Exploring Stories of Innovation, a series of short articles that explore how local governments from across the United States are strengthening their community’s food system through planning and policy.

Beginning in 2012, Growing Food Connections (GFC) conducted a national scan and identified 299 local governments across the United States that are developing and implementing a range of innovative plans, public programs, regulations, laws, financial investments and other policies to strengthen the food system. GFC conducted exploratory telephone interviews with 20 of these local governments. This series will highlight some of the unique planning and policy strategies used by these urban and rural local governments to enhance community food security while ensuring sustainable and economically viable agriculture and food production. The first four articles in the series feature Seattle, WA; Baltimore, MD; Cabarrus County, NC; and Lancaster County, PA.

For more information and to download these free articles, visit http://growingfoodconnections.org/research/communities-of-innovation/.

Marquette County Food Supply Plan Gains National Recognition

By Esther Kwon, Upper Peninsula Matters

April 30, 205

Marquette County’s work to improve the community’s food system is creating attention at the national level.

Thyra Karlstrom, Senior Planner for Marquette County, was recently invited to speak at the American Planning Association’s National Planning Conference in Seattle, Washington. The opportunity was a result of Marquette County being identified as a “community of innovation” by Growing Food Connections (GFC), a USDA-funded project that is conducting research on how local governments are improving food security and strengthening agriculture and food production in their communities. “We are impressed with the food systems planning and policy work of Marquette County government, namely the leadership of staff on food systems issues; long-range food systems planning efforts; coordination and collaboration within and outside the local government; and government support of food systems related projects and programs,” said Kimberley Hodgson, Co-Investigator of GFC and Principal of Cultivating Healthy Places.

As part of a GFC-hosted workshop (focused on advancing food systems planning and policy), Karlstrom spoke about Marquette County’s Local Food Supply Plan. The Plan was adopted by the County in 2012 and explains what a food system is, our regional challenges which include a short growing season, why a strong local food system is essential, and what the community and policy makers can do to strengthen ours.

“Representing rural communities and sharing Marquette County’s story at a national planning conference was an incredible opportunity,” Karlstrom said. “Our community has countless people and agencies dedicated to increasing healthy food consumption, providing opportunities for agriculture, and connecting food growers and consumers. Local governments have a key role and that is to set policy that encourages food production, processing, and even consumption.”

Marquette County is committed. Goals identified in the Plan include an improved economy, improved health, and reduced dependency on imported foods. The Plan can be found under comprehensive planning documents on Marquette County’s website. http://www.co.marquette.mi.us/.

Dr. Samina Raja was recently elected to represent the Northeast Region at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning.  The ACSP promotes education, research, service and outreach for planners.  They host annual conferences and workshops, as well as publishing of an academic journal, the Journal of Planning Education and Research. The Food Lab congratulates Dr. Raja!

An editorial by Dr. Samina Raja was recently featured in The Conversation.  The discussion features the work of planners in addressing food systems and highlights why all cities should have a Department of Food.  Read the full article here.

Agricultural Marketing Services announced two RFPs for The Farmers’ Market Promotion Program (FMPP) and the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP). LFPP offers grant funds with a 25% match to support the development and expansion of local and regional food business enterprises to increase domestic consumption of, and access to, locally and regionally produced agricultural products, and to develop new market opportunities for farm and ranch operations serving local markets.  More details can be found here:http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/LFPP

The Jamestown Post-Journal recently covered the work of Growing Food Connections’ partnership with Chautauqua County, NY, as a Community of Opportunity. The full article is posted below:

Jamestown Selected for Food Program

By Dennis Phillips, March 8, 2015

Jamestown has been included among a select group of communities nationwide to receive the designation of “Community of Opportunity.”

Eight communities – including Jamestown – across the country were recently selected to receive training and assistance in linking family farmers with local residents who lack access to healthy food. The Communities of Opportunity program is a part of the Growing Food Connections organization that helps local governments, planners, family farmers and consumers work together to strengthen their food systems.

During a three-year period, Growing Food Connections officials will help local governments create their own plans, policies, partnerships and make public investment to support family farmers and enhance food security. The Communities of Opportunity will also serve as models for other communities nationwide that face similar challenges.

Chautauqua County is the lead agency for the local initiative, with assistance from the Chautauqua County Health Network and the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation. Shelly Wells, Chautauqua County Health Network Creating Healthy Places project coordinator, said Jamestown is an ideal location for this program.

”We have the agriculture and, unfortunately, we have room to improve how people access food,” Wells said. ”The goal is to help communities that have the opportunity and the initiative to make changes to their food system to provide access to food and to support the agriculture behind the food.”

Chautauqua County’s rural population of 133,539 has a poverty rate of 18.8 percent, ranking it amongst the poorest counties in the state. The county has high rates of adult overweight/obesity at 62 percent, low daily consumption of fruits and vegetables at 25 percent, and 94 percent of school districts qualifying for free or reduced lunches.

Wells said the next step for the county is for County Executive Vince Horrigan to create a steering committee of local partners to work with the Growing Food Connections team. In April, Growing Food Connections officials will be traveling to Chautauqua County to tour the area. Wells said possible future benefits from the program include seeing policy changes to increase access to locally grown food for underprivileged community residents.

”This will be more advantageous for the farmers and the consumers,” she said.

Peter Lombardi, Jamestown Renaissance Corporation deputy director, said the county was selected because of the major presence of agriculture in Chautauqua County and the identified food deserts like the east side of Jamestown.

”We have the capacity to do something about it. The Chautauqua County Health Network in 2013 did a study with the University of Buffalo to help access for the east side of Jamestown,” he said. ”A lot of people are thinking about this problem in Jamestown, and we can use the technical support this program offers.”

Lombardi said there is no money from the program to support projects. However, he said being a part of the program can help with receiving grants to implement changes.

”It is a good thing that we are a Community of Opportunity. It will give us a leg up when requesting grants from the (U.S. Department of Agriculture),” he said. ”It is a good recognition. Chautauqua County has an interest in connecting local farmers with communities in need.”

The Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab at the University at Buffalo is the Growing Food Connections project lead agency. Samina Raja, University at Buffalo principal investigator and associate professor, said these Communities of Opportunity were selected from a competitive nationwide search and application process.

”The selected local governments will blaze a path for more than 30,000 local governments in the United States that have traditionally overlooked the problems and opportunities in their communities’ food systems,” she said.

The seven other Communities of Opportunity include Portland in Cumberland County, Maine; Albany in Dougherty County, Ga.; Las Cruces in Dona Ana County, N.M.; Omaha in Douglas County, Neb.; Deming in Luna County, N.M.; Columbus in Polk County, N.C.; and Kansas City in Wyandotte County, Kan.

Dougherty County, GA has been chosen as one of Growing Food Connection’s eight Communities of Opportunity.  UB’s Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab,  American Farmland Trust, Ohio State University, and Cultivating Healthy Places will be partnering with Dougherty County to provide training and assistance to link family farmers and local residents who lack access to healthy food.  This three year partnership will provide local leaders with tools, resources, and training to strengthen Dougherty’s food system.

Learn more about the partnership through Dougherty’s local media outlets.

GFC is a five-year, $3.96 million research initiative funded by award #2012-68004-19894, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Chautauqua County, NY has been selected as one of Growing Food Connection’s eight Communities of Opportunity.  As part of the three year partnership, they will receive training and assistance to link family farmers and local residents who lack access to healthy food.  This partnership will bring national expertise in food policy and planning to assist Chautauqua County’s local governments, planners, family farms, and consumers create a healthier and more sustainable food system.

Dr. Samina Raja, GFC Principle Investigator and Associate Professor at the University of Buffalo, says, “These COOs were selected from a competitive nationwide search and application process. The selected local governments will blaze a path for more than 30,000 local governments in the United States that have traditionally overlooked the problems and opportunities in their communities’ food systems.” 

See what local media outlets have to say about this landmark collaborative effort.

GFC is a five-year, $3.96 million research initiative funded by award #2012-68004-19894, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.