Week 11

This week's readings explored the effects of policy on food. Clancy, et al claim that policy shapes food systems. The evidence for this provided by the reading include public health education affecting public understanding and participation, transportation systems affecting food access, and economic activity that may hinder or help food systems sustainability. Many of the readings discussed food policy networks as an answer to effectively and positively shaping food systems. Winne said that policy is too serious a matter to be left to special interest and advocacy groups, which I agree with. Policy making should be a collaborative effort that benefits all. Roberts felt that food policy councils were a way to address innovation and empowering the public to make changes to food policy. A food policy council is an excellent way to incorporate numerous stakeholders in the decision making process; which addresses the notion of including more than special interest groups as well as sparking innovation and empowering the public. The idea of collaboration leading to innovation and stakeholder empowerment has been cited numerous times in Dr. Butler's Collaborative Governance class.

Unfortunately, my understanding is that the current state of Tallahassee's local food system is rather lacking when it comes to social networks and policy that helps encourage food system sustainability and growth. I have been doing quite a bit of research on food policy in Tallahassee, and there do not seem to be many policies in place that help the local food system. The planning department is working on addressing the issue, but currently, it is quite difficult to sell (and therefore buy) locally grown produce. I think Tallahassee could benefit greatly from a food policy council. I believe this would also create a social capital that the local farmers feel is lacking in the city.

Week 11: Summary

Imaging Sustainable Food Systems. The first thing that comes to mind when I think about this title is dreaming about an Utopian society that embraces a food system that firsts benefits the humanity and helps replenish the earth in a sustainable way where there are no worries about food security. However, after reading the article then I realized the author, Wayne Roberts’, had a slightly different agenda when coming up with the title.  The author speaks on how he is determined to change the very mind set on how people function in their institutions and governments through an innovative sustainable driving food system. The author talks about how people are so focused on solving a problem by putting a band-air on it and not solving a problem that changes themselves and the way they live. Roberts’ new innovation revolves around food policy councils that will benefit every subset within the sustainable food system.  For example, the councils will benefit and support the health and well-being of the farmers and their land, all people, hunters, gathers, fisheries, and etc.

Also, I like how Roberts’ mentioned that the Toronto Food Policy Council (TFPC) will not part take in implementation. He states how is inappropriate for an agency to do advocacy work and implementation at the same time. I agree because taking on both tasks can allow the food policy council to lose focus and tailor their points of view. They can also easily lose the trust and support of the people by swaying towards a point of view that likes to play favoritism with the citizens. Therefore, that is why Roberts’ strongly believes that the TFPC must adopt a holistic way of thinking that stimulates the mind to take on successful leadership roles that are involuntary to quick fixes and predictable consequences. 

This should be two posts

"A sustainability driven food system is one that empowers them (community members) helps them to work with new problem solving skills, and transforms the everyday functions of government" (Roberts, 2010).

Every so often I find myself completely inspired. After reading the literature for this week, I feel re-energized, caught somewhere between guerrilla gardening and running for mayor. This time last year I remember sitting at the Sustainable You conference that was put on by the county--the theme centered around Tallahassee's local food system. After a series of uplifting keynote speakers, conference attendees were asked to sit at a round table with neighboring members of the community. Each table was then given a sheet of paper with a topic pertinent to the food system, and then asked for ways to address the issue. Although I cannot remember what my topic was, I remember several of the initiatives that were listed: Creating more education outreach opportunities, launching a municipal composting program, connecting members through a community garden network, and developing a food policy council. As we talked through each of the options, democracy led us to vote on the option  of choice--education.

Thinking back to this time, I wish we would have spent more time exploring what a food policy council is, as it can encompass all of the initiatives previously described. A food policy council is cross disciplinary and cross departmental, aiming to transform "food security" and "sustainability" from passive nouns into action (Roberts, 2010).

Although Tallahassee has  yet to kickstart its own food policy council, it does have a number of programs that seek to further the good food movement locally. The heart of a food policy council is found in building a relationship-based food system, one that empowers all community members (especially those living in low SES areas) to see themselves, and be seen by others "to have exceptional gifts, not just high needs" (Roberts, 2010). There is no better image of this then sitting with my friends at a Collards and Cornbread meeting. Here, community members are empowered to share their future dreams, program updates, and everyday lives. Trust is built, ideas are spread, and most importantly relationships are formed.


Heres another plug for iGrow: "Sustainability doesn't get much better than having a young person learn to play leading roles as new food professionals for their entire career."

Exploring Food Policy and Food Policy Councils

How do we give the power to the people? Grass root approaches can be empowering and also efficient in creating environments that foster economic and social growth. Still, most government programs are surrounded by lobbyists and interests groups that are heavily reluctant to change, even if it yields positive outcomes. Winne, in his article explains the importance of grass roots: “an informed and activated citizenry, one that speaks for the grass roots first and foremost, is necessary to secure lasting change in this country.” Thus, it is imperative to provide transparency and authority from the bottom down and avoid shackling policies by few individuals.

In the food environment, policies can serve as a gateway to assist the needs of a city, whether it be for land use, economy, or most importantly, for the people. Food policy councils (FPCs) can be considered as a grass roots organization if its members are heavily involved in a community, and this council can optimize the use of appropriate policies while adding a source of education pertaining to food issues. Furthermore, FPCs should be transparent and provide open forums for discussion, brainstorming about the different wants and needs of a community’s constituents.

Even when the concept of FPCs sounds ideal, not all communities have them. The connection between officials and citizens may be more distant if such organization is not present and more issues may arise or some may be left unknown. For instance, FPCs can assist communities in maintaining money flux within the local food system, which creates a more sustainable economy and promotes the development of small businesses and local entrepreneurs. It could still happen without the presence of a FPC, but its impact may be of lower magnitude and slower.

Seeing the potential of FPCs, constant dialogue and brainstorming among members can help in researching for useful policies that provide more alternatives for communities to have a better access for food. One scenario could be in taking advantage of government programs such as the Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) in addition to private funds, which could function as an incentive for lower income individuals to purchase fresh local food at lower rates that yield better gains to farmers and growers. Another scenario for FPCs can be in having records of food availability across a city, and how it has shaped over the years. Such records could heavily assist in targeting areas with food deserts and developing more concise plans for new developments of food supply and transportation.

If policies can foster change in the way people acquire their food, it could also snowball into reducing health trends that relate to people’s diets. Policy can spearhead the change to U.S’ obesity rates and malnutrition, in addition to shifting low-income people dietary patterns. However, reasoning and experimentation from the government must be included, since funds reallocation should be addressed when exploring such potentials. The benefits that food policies could bring to the country can heavily reduce the high budgets injected in health care and turn them to farmers and people’s mouths, targeting the issue before it actually happens.

What are some other ways Food Policy Councils can benefit communities? Should they be a requirement for all cities to have? How can they become active and strong? Meaning they have a solid presence in voicing over people’s necessities and demands. 

FPCs and Tallahassee

Food Policy Councils meet to discuss, create, and determine food policies for a city or state (as the name suggests). Although scant around North America, the few that have sprouted up have mixed results. The mixed results were generally due to a lack of sufficient funding as well as staff. This had me question whether it’s better or worse for FPCs to be a part of the government or as a community organization because both have their pros and cons. While people distrust government as a whole, Toronto, one of the most successful FPCs, is part of the government and seen as a public health initiative. Granted, this is also Canadians and the Canadian government. On the other hand, I feel that generally the public views community organizations as just..well…nonessential and sort of “nice” to have around (not always, but generally this is what I’ve noticed). Additionally, not being a part of government allows for more grant opportunities.

This week’s readings had me curious about Tallahassee’s FPC: there’s nothing—nothing except a Blogspot domain from 2011. For a city relatively invigorated with food movement organizations, that seems a little defeating. Do you think that a Tallahassee FPC could be successful in creating better food justice policies? If there was an FPC should it be a part of the government or separate?

Week 11: Reflection

This week’s readings specifically discussed the importance of public policy and the role food councils played in addressing food security concerns. I became curious and decided to do a web search to learn if any food policy councils existed in Fort Lauderdale, Tallahassee and Atlanta, and if so, what were their impacts. These are cities that I’ve previously, currently or will live in and I wanted to know how actively engaged they were in developing and implementing food security policies. 

A food policy council currently doesn’t exist in Fort Lauderdale, but it is not from a lack of trying. Michael Madfis, a Boston native and owner of Fort Lauderdale Vegetables, has been advocating for a food policy council since 2013 (Sentenac, 2013). Fort Lauderdale Vegetables LLC is a network of sustainable urban farms within the city of Fort Lauderdale (Fort Lauderdale Vegetables LLC, N.D.). Madfis advocates for the necessary leadership through a food policy council to decentralize farming and foster a thriving local economy by creating jobs through a local food system. Growing up in Fort Lauderdale, food is viewed as something that is abundant because of the access to global and exotic foods as a result of having a large multicultural population. However, I don’t recall any discussions on the importance of a sustainable food system and the need for local urban farmers. I commend Madfis and his efforts to change the perspective of the residents of Fort Lauderdale and I really hope through his growing network that a food policy council will come to fruition. 

Tallahassee has the Tallahassee Food Network, “whose mission is to grow community-based good food systems that will provide healthy, affordable food for all” (Tallahassee Food Network, N.D.). Since its inception this regional coalition has been proactive in its partnership with the City of Tallahassee in empowering citizens to work with their neighbors to build, cultivate, and maintain public gardens (Tallahassee Food Network, N.D.). In partnership with the South City Revitalization Council, Whole Child Leon and the City of Tallahassee, the South City iGrow Farm was launched in 2015, which is an extension of the thriving Frenchtown iGrow. This group has also been essential in connecting food movement players, so they can learn from and collaborate with another. There are so many projects that are in the pipeline, such as the food hub, and others that have come into existence as a result of partnering with local organizations and communities that would like to create a more food secure Tallahassee.

Atlanta has two food policy councils: Georgia Food Policy Council and the Atlanta Local Food Initiative. The Georgia Food Policy Council is a part of the Georgia Health Policy Center at Georgia State University, who focuses on statewide initiatives (Georgia Health Policy Center, N.D.). Their goal is to “establish a statewide food system plan encompassing strategic priorities, best practices, communications and marketing, and sustainability” (Georgia Health Policy Center, N.D.). They receive funding support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Georgia Health Policy Center, N.D.) The Atlanta Local Food Initiative is a network that joins individuals, corporations, nonprofits, universities, and governmental agencies that focuses on transforming the Atlanta food system in which every Atlantan has access to safe, nutritious, and affordable food produced by a thriving network of sustainable farms and gardens (Atlanta Local Food Initiative, 2013).

In each of these cities they have activism occurring in various stages, advocating for a more food secure and sustainable city or state. Although my web search scratched the surface in understanding the full extent of their role, it really made me want me to be more proactive in what’s going in my current city. I’m reading and learning on how to foster changes, but I’m actually doing very little to implement them. Do any of you feel this way? What are you doing about it?

Atlanta Local Food Initiative (2013). Retrieved from http://www.atlantalocalfood.org/about-us/

Fort Lauderdale Vegetables LLC (N.D.) Retrieved from http://www.fortlauderdalevegetables.com/

Georgia Health Policy Center (N.D.). Georgia Food Policy Council. Retrieved from http://ghpc.gsu.edu/georgia-food-policy-council/

Sentenac, H. (2013). Fort Lauderdale Vegetables’ Michael Madfis: We need a Food Council. Broward Palm Beach New Times. Retrieved from http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/restaurants/fort-lauderdale-vegetables-michael-madfis-we-need-a-food-policy-council-6891698

Tallahassee Food Network (N.D.) Retrieved from http://www.tallahasseefoodnetwork.org/

Week 11: Food Council in Big Orange Country

I was pleasantly surprised to see in the Clancy article that Knoxville, TN was the first city in the country to create a food policy council. As a UT-Knoxville alumni, naturally I had to investigate the council's current status and projects.

As the article mentioned, the Knoxville Food Policy Council has never had paid members, which is shocking given its longevity. However, as evident from their website (www.knoxfood.org/), activity on a month-to-month basis appears to come in spurts. This is probably a result of having unpaid members, as activity is put on the back-burners. But the council continues to exist with meetings every month or so. Its 11 members consist of city officials, a UTK professor, health officials, and various non-profit representatives. Some of the projects done by KFPC include a 2014 Knoxville Regional Foodshed Assessment and a 2011 guide to starting a community garden in the county or city. They also have had several series of public meetings to discuss programs such as a "Farm to Fork" program that promotes locally grown food pumped directly into the city.

Winnie's article brings up the three "Ps" that are necessary to change food systems: Projects, Partners, and Policy. Having partners is the most important to me when creating a food council. Having a leader that can tap into his or her relationships to pull in various organizations is crucial to getting the food conversation started. And it doesn't have to be a planner to start a food council either. The Knoxville FPC was started by a professor; all it takes is a push from within the city. Of course, the longevity of the food council is reliant on continued support from the government and resources from grants.

If you were trying to start a food policy council, who would you approach to bring to the table? What goals would you want the council to focus on first?