COMMUNITY & REGIONAL

FOOD SYSTEMS ACTION TOOLKIT

Lindsey Day Farnsworthldfarnsworth@wisc.edu

Samuel Pratschsamuel.pratsch@ces.uwex.edu

April 21, 2015

TOOLKIT OVERVIEW

What’s the purpose? This toolkit is a compilation of action-oriented resources to help practitioners and their community partners and local governments plan, implement, and/or evaluate a variety of community food system activities and explore how they are connected.

What’s the intended audience?Extension county educators and state specialistsCommunity-based organizationsFundersLocal governments

LINKING THEORY & ACTION

The way we approach food systems activities shapes the health,

environmental, social, and economic outcomes of our food system.

UW-Madison Community & Regional Food Systems Project Framework

Source: UW-Madison Community and Regional Food Systems Project V.5 working draft, www.community-food.org

Enabling Environment: Agriculture and Food Policy, Economics,

Public Health System, Natural Environment, Community & Culture

Food System Supply Chain

Activities & Context

Enabling Environment: Agriculture and Food Policy, Economics,

Public Health System, Natural Environment, Community & Culture

Land access & Suitability

Agricultural Production

Distribution & Aggregation

Food Processing

MarketingPreparation: Consumer & Institutional

Consumption

Resource & Waste Recovery

Values

Food System Supply Chain

Values

Activities & Context

Justice & Fairness

Sustainable

ecosystems

Enabling Environment: Agriculture and Food Policy, Economics,

Public Health System, Natural Environment, Community & Culture

Vibrant farms & gardens

Strong communi

ties

Sustainable

ecosystems

Thriving Local

Economies

Healthy People

Justice & Fairness

Cooperation

Land access & Suitability

Agricultural Production

Distribution & Aggregation

Food Processing

MarketingPreparation: Consumer & Institutional

Consumption

Resource & Waste Recovery

Community Food System Framework

Whole Measures for Community Food Systems

Justice & Fairness• Provides food for all• Reveals & uproots injustice • institutions support food justice

Strong Communities• Community-driven & builds equity• Builds trust and reciprocity• Civic leadership & political

empowerment

Vibrant Farms & Gardens• Supports local, sustainable &

economically viable family farms• Protects farmers & farmworkers• Respects farm animals

Healthy People• Provides healthy food for all• Ensures health & wellbeing of all

Connects people & land

Sustainable Ecosystems• Sustains a healthy environment• Promotes an ecological ethic• Enhances biodiversity

Sustainable Local Economies• Build local wealth• Builds long-term economic vitality• Develops infrastructure that

supports community & enviro health

Systems thinking & collaboration• Emphasis on root causes• Interdisciplinary strategies• Coordinated, multi-level approaches

TOOLKIT CONTENT OVERVIEW

How is this different than other food system resources?Action-orientedLinked to/rooted in the CRFS framework Connection to Program Development and EvaluationNot just another another food systems resource page:

UW-Extension CFS Team website Cornell University University of Minnesota Extension E-Extension Community, Local & Regional Food System CoP Johns Hopkins University

Food Policy Resources Food System Curriculum

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION

Plan

ActLearn

Plan and develop a new food-related program or project using the Whole Measures values to define intended outcomes

EXAMPLE OF PLANNING USE OF TOOLKIT

Policy and decision makers increase knowledge and awareness of how community infrastructure impacts health

Outcomes

Short Medium Long

Policy and decision makers finance and incentivize the creation of community infrastructure

Community infrastructure that supports access to and availability of healthy food and physical activity opportunities

A thriving community food system that provides safe food and a built environment that enables all people to attain complete physical, emotional, social, economic, and spiritual well-being and positive growth

EXAMPLE OF ACTION USE OF TOOLKIT

Identify resources and strategies to support new or existing projects

SEARCHING FOR A RESOURCE

Seeking resources and strategies to support new or existing projects?

SEARCHING FOR THE RESOURCE TOOLKIT

Justice & Fairness• National Equi ty At las

PolicyLink

• Equity & Empowerment lensMultnomah County, Oregon

Strong Communities• Federal Grants Program Guide for

Susta inable Farms & Communit iesMichael Fie lds & USDA

• Organizat ional Capaci ty & StructureUnivers i ty of Minnesota Extens ion

Vibrant Farms & Gardens• National Susta inable Agr icul ture

Information Serv iceATTRA

• Bui ld a Low-cost Cooler/Pack ShedFai rShare & The Far ley Center for Peace & Just ice

Healthy People• Access to Heal thy Food Survey

Univers i ty of Washington Center for Publ ic Heal th & Nutr i t ion

• Healthy Food Access Mapping ToolPol icyL ink & Heal thy Food Access Porta l

Sustainable Ecosystems• Guide to Smal l Batch Compost ing

Urban Garden Center

• Sustainable Bus iness Develop. GuideMN Inst i tute for Sustainable Ag & SARE

Sustainable Local Economies• Guide to Food Innovat ion Dis tr icts

MSU & NW MI Counci l of Governments

• Cost-Benefi t Analys is ToolAFRI CRFS Project

Systems thinking & col laboration• In deve lopment

SAMPLE TOOLKIT CONTENT

EXAMPLE OF LEARNING USE OF TOOLKIT

Demonstrate the impact of your community food system work by using Whole Measures to align the evaluation of your programs with the Cooperative Extensions Recording Results Systems

REPORTING USES OF CRFS TOOLKIT

April 2015 Revise concept of toolkit based on feedback

May 2015 – July 2015 Finalize website design function and graphics Finalize content Integration of concept, website, and content

August 2015 – September 2015 Pilot the toolkit

November Launch

NEXT STEPS AND TIMELINE  

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

• Are there gaps in resources or information?

• How do you envision using this resource?

• Is anything confusing about the toolkit?

• What do you need to be able to use this resource?• One-on-one training• Modifications to website content• Workshops• Other?

• Would you be interested in piloting the toolkit?

QUESTIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS?

Please contact us!

Lindsey Day Farnsworthldfarnsworth@wisc.edu

Samuel Pratschsamuel.pratsch@ces.uwex.edu