FOOD POLICY COUNCILS Helping Local, Regional, and State Governments Address Food System Challenges
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FOOD POLICY COUNCILS Helping local, regional, and state governments address food system challenges Kimberley Hodgson FOOD SYSTEM PLANNING BRIEFING PAPER In response to growing concerns about food deserts, eficial solutions to food system problems. In recent obesity rates among children, the loss of prime agri- years, FPCs have increasingly reached out to a num- cultural lands, a dwindling farmer population, and en- ber of community partners in the private and public vironmental problems such as soil erosion and water sector, including urban and regional planners, to help contamination, more and more towns, cities, regions, them find pragmatic solutions. and states are forming food policy councils (FPCs). Through policy and programmatic strategies, FPCs This report provides an overview of FPCs, charts the help local, regional, or state governments address functions of planners on FPCs in a detailed matrix, these food system challenges and others. As part of highlights common ways that planning depart- a broader community-based food systems approach, ments support FPCs, and offers lessons learned. It FPCs work to restore the social, economic, and envi- draws upon the experience of four FPCs—the Greater ronmental health of local and regional food systems. Kansas City Food Policy Coalition, the Cleveland- Cuyahoga County Food Policy Coalition, the Santa FPCs are typically comprised of community residents Fe Food Policy Council, and the Regional Food Policy and representatives from the five food sectors (pro- Council of the Puget Sound Regional Council—and duction, processing, distribution, consumption, and highlights the ways in which they work with planners waste recovery) who collaborate on mutually ben- and planning departments. Prepared by the American Planning Association’s Planning and Community Health Research Center. FPC PURPOSE FPCs provide local, regional, or state governments, as well u Food secure and literate, providing equitable physi- as residents, information and advice about various poli- cal and economic access to safe, nutritious, culturally cies and programs that support community-based food appropriate, and sustainably grown food at all times systems. Such a food system emphasizes, strengthens, across communities and fostering an understanding and makes visible the relationships among producers, and appreciation of food, from production to disposal. processors, distributors, and consumers of food at the local and regional levels (Raja et al. 2008; Hodgson et al. 2011), while aiming to be: Food Industry and Economic Development Government Emergency Food Planning Nutrition and Education Public Health Food Policy Council Comprehensive Hunger Relief Food Planning Culture and Community Natural Resources Agriculture Figure 1. Food system diagram source: www.fpclanecounty.org/overview u Place-based, promoting networks of stakeholders, The negative health, environmental, economic, and social linking urban and rural issues, engaging residents, and impacts of the food system have typically been addressed creating senses of place; in a piecemeal fashion, with each of the five food sectors working independently. In contrast, FPCs comprehen- u Ecologically sound, using environmentally sustain- sively evaluate such impacts through systems-thinking able methods for producing, processing, distributing, approaches that bridge food system sectors. As Figure transporting, and disposing of food and agricultural 1 illustrates, FPCs bring together diverse stakeholders to by-products; collaboratively solve problems and, in doing so, ensure u Economically productive, bolstering development ca- that community-based food system policies and pro- pacity and providing job opportunities for farmers and grams reinforce each other. community residents; One problem many FPCs tackle is how to increase resi- u Socially cohesive, facilitating trust, sharing, and com- dents’ access to grocery stores. FPCs unpack the interre- munity building across a diverse range of cultures and lated causes of the problem, considering things like: addressing the concerns and needs of marginalized groups, including minority and immigrant farmers and u Infrastructure: Are public transportation links to exist- farm laborers, financially struggling small farmers, and ing grocery stores adequate? underserved inner-city and rural residents; and u Economic development: Which banks will or will not COMMON FPC CHARACTERISTICS loan to new grocery stores? FPCs often operate as a nonprofit, quasi-governmental entity or within a government agency, and cater to both u Built environment: Which zoning codes or regulations community and local government needs. The name of an could be changed to locate grocery stores closer to FPC often varies from community to community and reflects residential areas? its operation within or outside of a local, regional, or state government. For example, food systems or food policy coali- u Alternatives or supplemental programs: Could a tions typically operate outside of government, whereas food farmers market or home delivery program fill service policy councils typically operate within government. gaps? Nonetheless, all FPCs share operating characteristics. FPCs often: FPC OBJECTIVES FPCs improve the social, economic, and environmental u Take a comprehensive approach health of a given food system by setting a number of re- u Pursue long-term strategies lated objectives. u Offer tangible solutions The main objectives of a food policy council (Harper et al. u Are place-based 2009) are to: u Advocate on behalf of the larger community u Advocate for policy change to improve a community’s u Seek government buy-in food system u Establish formal membership u Develop programs that address gaps in a community’s u Operate with little or no funding food system FPC JURISDICTION AND AFFILIATION u Strategize solutions that have wide applicability to the FPCs can exist at the local, regional, and state level; many food system FPCs serve more than one jurisdictional level. u Research and analyze the existing conditions of a com- Deciding the most appropriate jurisdictional level for an munity’s food system FPC depends on: u Spatial aspects: how dispersed a given community is u Communicate information about a community’s food system u Community boundaries: which people are linked by which food traditions u Cultivate partnerships among a community’s five food u Environmental boundaries: whether communities are sectors linked by a watershed, river valley, or other natural border u Political landscape: which government level can sup- u Convene meetings that draw diverse stakeholders of a community’s food system port FPC activity For example, Rubina Cohen, coordinator of the Santa Fe FPCs across the country are tackling food systems prob- Food Policy Council, notes that the council’s city-county lems with inventive solutions—whether it’s proposing dual jurisdiction best reflects the unique geography and agricultural overlay districts and backyard beekeeping community of Santa Fe. “In a location where there are no ordinances, or researching local produce purchasing pro- borders between where the city ends and the county be- grams for detention centers. gins, a city-county jointly appointed council best unifies what are false distinctions between ‘urban’ issues in the city and the ‘rural’ issues in the county,” says Cohen. AMERIcaN PLANNING ASSOCIATION Kick-off meeting at the Resource Center for Independent Living for the Utica/Oneida Food Policy Council Photos by Pam Jardieu FPCs also organize themselves according to how closely u Community: Many FPCs are housed in community and aligned they are with either nonprofits and community grassroots organizations to help them stay connected groups or government agencies. Regardless of where to the people and interests they represent. an FPC falls on this spectrum, most FPCs rely on at least one foster organization or department to support their FPC MEMBERSHIP development. For instance, the Cleveland-Cuyahoga The FPC membership process can be formal, informal, County Food Policy Coalition is housed in two academic or some combination of the two. FPC members may be institutions—Case Western Reserve University’s Prevention formally appointed by a governmental official or execu- Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods and Ohio State tive board, nominated by governmental officials or other University Extension. FPC members, or selected from an application process. Additionally, FPC members may be informally chosen A number of factors contribute to which organizational through a self-selection process. entities an FPC may be supported by or affiliated with: For example, the membership process for the Santa Fe u Political will: Dedicated government officials or agen- Food Policy Council depends on whether a member cies sometimes choose to fully or partly house FPCs in represents the city or the county. City members are nomi- government departments. This is often the case if an nated, recommended for appointment by the mayor, and FPC has been formed by executive order or legislative then approved by the Santa Fe City Council, while county act. members are nominated, recommended for appointment by the county manager’s office, and then approved by u Access to resources: FPCs need time, money, and the Board of County Commissioners. space to function. Affiliating with a strong nonprofit, or an institution like a state university extension office, can offer much-needed support. FPC membership structure strives to be diverse