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.

1. andYear
Beyond…
1

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

9. PRODUCTION

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

23. YOUR THOUGHTS?

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

25. Lindsey Day Farnsworth
ldfarnsworth@wisc.edu
Anne Pfeiffer
acpfeiff@wisc.edu
www.community-food.org