Figuring out Planning's Role in the Food System

I was surprised to see that as recently as 2000, planners were largely uninvolved in food systems planning. Pothukuchi & Kaufman, reiterated by Clancy, present several reasons planners claim for their limited attention to food systems. These include: It's not our turf; It's not an urban issue, it's a rural issue; The food system is driven primarily by the private market; Planning agencies aren't funded to do food system planning; and What's the problem? I found some of these reasons quite alarming given the wide-reaching and holistic attention planners claim to apply to issues. For instance, claiming that food systems planning is "not an urban issue" shows a lack of understanding of the back-and-forth that exists between urban and rural places, as we have covered in previous week's readings. Perhaps more alarming is the last point. Apparently until very recently, planners were unaware and unwilling to examine possible problems in a food system, even as they must have acknowledged that public health was deteriorating, riots related to food insecurity were breaking out in cities around the country, and agricultural land was disappearing.

Fifteen years later, I feel we have both come quite far and come not far enough. On the one hand, Pothukuchi & Kaufman raise several possible solutions to this lack of attention to food systems planning. These include: Compile data on the community food system; Analyze connections between food and other planning concerns; Assess the impact of current planning on the local food system; Integrate food security into community goals; and Educate future planners about food system issues. Clancy expands upon these issues by offering several incentives and pressures that will need to occur in order for this to happen, including prodding from local governments and a familiarization with civic movements. These suggestions are largely incorporated into the APA recommendations, which further suggest an inclusion of Native American and local food traditions. These suggestions are a good start, and focus on gathering information and data, analyzing these data according to the best planning principles, building connections between relevant bodies of government, and connecting with local activist groups. However, on the other hand, at this point in planning, I feel like these recommendations should be revisited. When Pothukuchi & Kaufman wrote their article fifteen years ago, there were hardly any food planning classes, no concentrations in that field, and little interest in the planning research. That is not the case any more. Information and data has been gathered and analyzed, the connections have been made, and the public is ready for a change. Planners should rise to the occasion and provide the planning service that is so desperately needed. For their part, the APA addresses food systems planning thoroughly, but the majority of their action items focus on "assessing," "gathering data," "analyzing," "raising awareness," and other such low-key actions. It's time for action items to include making real changes to the system.