Presentation of Annual Activities and Recommendations

Transcription

1 June 2013 Linn County Food Systems Council Presentation of Annual Activities and Recommendations to the Linn County Board of Supervisors Prepared by: Jason Grimm Iowa Valley RC&D Les Beck Linn County Planning & Development

2 OVERVIEW OF THE COUNCIL S WORK TO DATE The Linn County Food Systems Council was created on Marchh 28, 2012 by resolution of the Board of Supervisors. Over the next three months the Council was organized, and members representing various constituencies were appointed by the Board. The first meeting of the Council was held on July 17, The Linn County Planning and Development Department and Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development have provided staffing and other support to thee Council, and have helped guide the Council s four phase goal setting and work plan developmentt (see Figure 11). Phase 1: Goal Identification Phase 2: SWOT Analysis & Strategy Development Phase 3: Strategy Prioritization Phase 4: : Implementa tion Program Linn County P& &D and IVRC& &D Support and Oversight Figure 1. Goal Setting and Work Plan Development Overview of Phase 1: Goal Identification The goal identification process took place over the course of the Council ss first two meetings. At its first meeting ( July 17, 2012) the Council members listed their individual goals for the group. The resulting list of 19 goals is shown below. Initial listing of goals by Linn County Food Systems Council members: Sustainable food production Broader Linn County policies in urban areas Eat more local Clean, sustainable food Advocacy for policy change Resourcee protection Increase diversity of production Regional processing Obesity rates plateau Disaster response plan Farm to school program ( also institutions) Coordinate partnerships Capitall campaign for industry in local food infrastructure Grow more farmers Improve health of our food Nutritional education Empower people Comprehensive Hunger Free Community Plan End to the need for food drives At the Council s second meeting (August 28, 2012) the members reviewed a set of issues that had been developedd by the Linn Johnson for addressing each issue. The Council organized the issues into a set of five Local Foods Task Force in That list included 10 issues, each with a set of strategies goal

3 statements, shown in below. This draft list of five goal statements with a corresponding list of issues and strategiess then became the basis for the Council s succeedingg work. Identification of five goal statements developed from issues identified byy the Linn County Local Foods Task Force (2009): Achieve a sufficient and balanced local food production & market (demand) Eliminate food insecurity and ensure access to healthy foods Promote education and literacy regarding food choices Ensure the safety & security of our food supply Protect important environmental resources that contribute too food production and healthful lifestyles Overview of Phase 2: SWOT Analysis and Strategyy Development Over the course of the next two meetings (September 25, 2012 and October 23, 2012) the Council refined the list of goals, issues, and strategies and developed a vision and goal statement for the Council. The statement was derived from the original 19 goals identified by the council and narrowed down to the five that were deemed to be the best fit for Linn County. The LCFSC Vision & Goals Statement is as follows: We Value: 1. Sustainability, as indicated through: Sustainable food production Resource protection Increased diversity of food production 2. Health, as indicated by: Obesity rates plateau Improved health and safety of our food Nutritional education 3. Economy, as measured by: Eating more locally produced foods Increased regional processing capacity Farm to school programs and institutions purchasing of local foods Capital campaign for industry in local food infrastructure More local food farmers 4. Community, as implemented through: Disaster response plan to address food security issues Coordinated partnerships Empowerment of people Adoption of a Comprehensive Hunger Free Community Plan 5. Advocacy, as evidenced by: Policy change to advance local food chain of activities End to the need for food drives The final version of the goals, issues, and strategies was adopted by the Council on October 23, Overview of Phase 3: Strategy Prioritization In January 2013 the Council began the process of prioritizing the strategies. Council members were asked to evaluate each strategy against the following considerations: local impact (provides direct benefit to residents / stakeholders) ; ease of implementation (feasibility to achieve a successful outcome) ); and regional impact (builds intergovernmental connections or provides regional benefits). At

4 the same time, staff evaluated each strategy in terms of funding capacity (existing funding or potential to acquire future funding); and technical capacity (expertise and technical capacity of existing staff or the potential to acquire such capacity). This process was completed in February 2013 and provided the basis for the implementation program. Overview of Phase 4: Implementation Program Although the scope of the Council s implementation program is long term, it can be used to develop shorter term planning programs, such as annual work plans and budgets. In addition, the Council will routinely evaluate the program to ensure it remains an effective guide for decision making. Implementation Program Components There are four components to the table: Strategy, Type, Timeframe, and Collaborating Partners. The table also shows the prioritization of each strategy as either a high, moderate, or low priority. Strategy The strategies are organized from high to low priority, which was determined by Council review. Strategies were assigned a score relative to other strategies within that element, and the overall scores were used to determine the priority level. Strategy prioritization is illustrated in the tables by background color and an abbreviation in bold: High priority = Red background and (H) Medium priority = Green background and (M) Low priority = Blue background and (L) Type Strategies are also classified by type: Policy: An action that depends on or creates tools or approaches, including regulatory or administrative, that can be applied consistently. Collaboration: An action that involves working with other entities within County government, the county, and/or the region. Project: An action that generally results in a physical or programmatic change, such as infrastructure. Timeframe An approximate timeframe to complete each strategy was determined by staff evaluation. This evaluation included consideration of the existing funding capacity, availability of existing or future funding, expertise, and technical capacity of existing staff, and the potential for acquiring additional expertise of technical capacity, if required. The assigned timeframes are estimates; it may take less or more time for any given strategy to be completed. The four timeframes shown below indicate expected times to carry out a strategy.

5 Ongoing: Existing strategies, will continue to be used. Short term: < 2 years Mid term: 2 to 5 years Long term: > 5 years Collaborating Partners Implementation of the plan strategies involves the actions and decisions of entities other than the Linn County Food Systems Council. It is necessary to identify these partners, reach out and maintain communication and coordination for successful plan implementation. The implementation table identifies collaborating partners, and additional organizations may be identified over the course of strategy implementation.

6 Initial Policy Plan Recommendations The Linn County Food Systems Council has created a policy plan for review by the Board of Supervisors per the recommendation in the Council s founding charter from the board. This set of policy proposals has been developed through research by the council and by individual council member s area of expertise in the food community in Linn County. Council members interviewed farmers, chefs, agencies serving low income populations and institutional buyers. Our intentions are to start a dialogue and to continue to work with the Board to refine and adopt strategies regarding these recommendations. The three areas of policy need we have identified, as stated in the Council s duties are 1) Local land use policies and rules 2) Local food promotion ideas and 3) Food purchasing policies and practices. Local Land Use Policies and Rules Related to Food Production and Distribution Create producer friendly land use policies Support, through policy and regulation, local food production (such as Community Supported Agriculture) and value added agriculture operations in close proximity to local markets Enable and encourage small and mid size farms, including farms with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), u pick, agri tourism, on farm stores, and other sustainable agriculture farm ventures. Research the potential for the development of an agricultural park or local food system business park to support the local food system and new farmer education and mentoring. An agricultural park might include business incubation as well as production, processing, storage, distribution, and retail activities Develop policies to support small scale and mobile processing, including meat, fruit, and vegetable processing Incorporate a food security component to the Hazard Mitigation Plan Protect land best suited to a variety of agricultural practices Encourage the protection of habitat for pollinators that contribute to food production. Local Food Promotion: The Linn County Board of Supervisors should promote local food in the following ways: Support the creation of farm marketing programs such as a regional food label or Buy Fresh Buy Local. Support and promote a database/network to link local food buyers with local food producers directly Make information about access to healthy foods available through social media sites such as the Linn County website, Facebook and Twitter pages Support the creation of a rural economic development initiative Local Food Purchasing Policies: Encourage small scale community/institutional local food purchasing policies Establish a minimum goal for local food purchases by County government

7 Linn County Food Systems Council 2013 Work Plan Approved by Council May 28, 2013 GOAL STRATEGY TYPE TIMEFRAME COLLABORATING PARTNERS A Achieve a sufficient and balanced local food system including production, processing, and demand. Create producer friendly land use policies Policy Short Term Linn County Encourage small scale community/institutional local food purchasing policies Policy Short Term Food Systems Council Support the creation of farm marketing programs such as a regional food label or Buy Fresh Buy Local. Project Short Term Enable and encourage small and mid size farms, including farms with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), u pick, agri tourism, on farm stores, and other sustainable agriculture farm ventures. Policy Mid Term Linn County Research the potential for the development of an agricultural park or local food system business park to support the local food system and new farmer education and mentoring. An agricultural park might include business incubation Project Mid Term Linn County as well as production, processing, storage, distribution, and retail activities Utilize community kitchens as potential local food processing during off times Collaboration Long Term Develop policies to support small scale and mobile processing, including meat, fruit, and vegetable processing Policy Long Term Linn County Provide information on sources of technical assistance for food and agriculture businesses Policy Short Term Linn County Support financial incentives to encourage local food production Policy Short Term Linn County Survey CSAs are they under or over subscribed? Policy Long Term Support the creation of a rural economic development initiative Project/Collaboration Long Term Linn County B C Ensure access to healthy foods and support the elimination of food insecurity. Map where people can buy healthy foods, such as grocery stores, farmers markets, and CSAs Project Short Term Linn County Map unhealthy food locations, such as convenience stores and fast food restaurants (CDC has definitions) Project Short Term Linn County Get more groceries to sell locally produced foods and accept all food assistance coupons Collaboration Short Term Support and promote a database/network to link local food buyers with local food producers directly Project/Collaboration Short Term Iowa Valley Food Co op Make information about access to healthy foods available through social media sites such as the Linn County website, facebook and twitter Project/Collaboration Short Term Recommend zoning regulations regarding the permitted locations and density of drive through restaurants, and of commercial billboards Policy Med Term Work with food purveyors to create and distribute healthy meal menus that customers can pick up when they go shopping Project/Collaboration Long Term Project/Collaboration/P Work with appropriate entities to eliminate food deserts, which are areas with little or no access to healthy food olicy Long Term Enhance accessibility to healthy food choices in the workplace, institutions, and the community Project Mid Term Project/Collaboration/P Encourage community gardens and farmers markets on underutilized land olicy Med Term Support the creation and success of Linn County organizations, networks and coalitions that work to end hunger Collaboration Med Term Food Systems Council Promote literacy regarding the benefits of healthy food. Create greater awareness of local producers by supporting a campaign about Buy Fresh Buy Local Project Short Term Educate and support residents to grow their own food Project/Collaboration Short Term Improve social/cultural interaction through community gardening, harvesting, and meals Project/Collaboration Short Term Develop an education campaign to share information on county wide food and agriculture issues with Linn County Project Short Term Hold workshops on seasonal food preparation Project/Collaboration Short Term Work with food purveyors regarding placement of healthy foods in stores Collaboration Mid Term

8 Encourage and support programs and organizations that teach about food preparation using healthy foods Project/Collaboration Mid Term Food Systems Council D E Promote the security of Linn County s food supply. Support, through policy and regulation, local food production (such as Community Supported Agriculture) and valueadded agriculture operations in close proximity to local markets Policy Short Term Linn County Incorporate a food security component to the Hazard Mitigation Plan Policy Short Term Linn County Support and programs that educate farmers and the public on the causes of food contamination Project Long Term Support and promote the use of USDA Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) program Project/Collaboration Short Term Support the expansion of community gardens and farmers markets Policy/Collaboration Mid Term Research and define the Linn County foodshed to determine the food needs and land resources of Linn County Project Long Term Protect environmental resources that contribute to food production. Protect land best suited to a variety of agricultural practices Policy Short Term Linn County Encourage the protection of habitat for pollinators that contribute to food production. Policy Short Term Linn County Encourage use of soil erosion elimination practices on county and city owned land Policy Short Term Linn County Encourage all municipalities to adopt guidelines that promote and enhance pedestrian and bicycle trips to community facilities such as farmers markets, grocery stores, parks, schools, and libraries Policy/Collaboration Mid Term