Recipient Organization
COMMUNITY FOOD SECURITY COALITION
3830 SE DIVISION
PORTLAND,OR 97202
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Food policy councils are emerging rapidly in response to the need to expand and replicate the impact of community food projects at the local and state level. Two influences are driving this interest: the need to coordinate the bourgeoning numbers of local and state-based food and farm initiatives, and the need to engage local and state policy makers in creating just and sustainable food systems. FPCs bring together diverse local and state food system stakeholders to develop and implement policy-based solutions to meet their food system's needs. The project will be directed by Mark Winne who has 18 years of food policy council development, management, and training experience. Keecha Harris of Harris and Associates, who has worked with Mark Winne for two years developing and running FPC training workshops, will continue in that role but also assist with the development of a FPC manual and the project's evaluation. Aleta Dunne of CFSC's staff will provide web support, and a conference organizer will be hired to manage the FPC conference. Goals and objectives: A) The project will increase networking and information sharing among FPCs by holding quarterly topical conference calls for 40-45 persons per call, holding a national FPC conference in 2010 for up to 250 participants, and upgrading the project's website semi-annually. B) The Project will increase the effectiveness of 20 existing and emerging FPCs per year by providing 150 hours of free consulting (on-site as well as by phone and email), and by providing 150 hours of additional consulting to two underserved states or U.S. territories and two tribal nations. C) The project will educate FPC organizers and practitioners about best FPC practices by preparing and disseminating 500 manuals that contain detailed information regarding the development and operation of FPCs. Particular attention will be paid throughout the project to include CFP grantees and applicants, as well as to provide information on CFP as a funding source for food policy councils.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
A. Increase networking and information-sharing among existing and emerging food policy councils. Objective 1: Hold quarterly topical conference calls for 40-45 persons per call. Objective 2: Hold a Food Policy Council Conference in Spring 2010 in Portland, OR for 200-250 food policy council organizers and participants Objective 3: Upgrade the Food Policy Council Program website (www.foodpolicycouncil.net) with additional and revised materials. B. Increase the effectiveness of at least 15-20 existing and emerging food policy councils through training and technical assistance, especially in tribal nations and territories that are currently underserved by local policy initiatives Objective 4: Provide 150 hours/year of free consulting per year to at least 15-20 existing or emerging food policy councils, especially CFP grantees and applicants. Objective 5: Provide 150 hours/year of organizational development and food policy council assistance per year to two underserved states or U.S. territories, and two Native American tribes. C. Educate food policy council organizers and practitioners about best practices in the development and operation of food policy councils. Objective 6: Prepare, print and disseminate 500 manuals, which will be between 50 and 75 pages in length, written in plain language that provides detailed information about the development and operation of food policy councils
Project Methods
No unusual methods will be used. We will hold periodic conference calls, organize a national conference, upgrade websites, provide TA through phone and personal contact. We will use the following evaluation methods: Participants in the topical conference calls will be asked to provide feedback through a written survey once a year about the call structure and content, and about how useful it was in helping them in their council work. The evaluation plan for the proposed project will include the collection of quantitative and qualitative data to assess the impacts and outcomes of the process. The capacity in community food policy organizing for each organization that receives in-person assistance will be quickly assessed at the beginning of the project. These data will be used to tailor training sessions. Each training session will be evaluated to determine the immediate relevance of the materials to each organization's goals, intents and projected activities in food policy. End term data will be collected to determine how a modest sampling of participants used information presented during the conference and during the food policy council calls through interview format. Objective criteria will be established at the beginning of the project to establish which participants from the technical assistance calls will be interviewed. At least 25% of the groups who receive tailored training through on-site assistance will be interviewed as well.