Recipient Organization
COMMUNITY FOOD SECURITY COALITION
3830 SE DIVISION
PORTLAND,OR 97202
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
While the U.S. food system is widely viewed as the most productive and inexpensive in the world, it does not serve everyone equally. Hunger and food insecurity are entrenched and worsening problems, with food stamp usage dramatically on the rise due to the current recession. At the same time, obesity has reached epidemic proportions, afflicting 33% of adults and 19% of children. The poor and people of color suffer disproportionately high rates of diet-related diseases, which are correlated to a lack of access to healthy foods. At the same time, family farming continues to decline, as fewer new farmers enter the field, urban sprawl encroaches on prime farmland, and low prices drive farmers out of business. There is no "magic bullet" solution to these complex problems, but an important part of the solution lies in developing food systems that embody principles of health, social justice, and sustainability. The community food security (CFS) approach, which is embedded within the Community Food Projects (CFP) Program, seeks to catalyze food systems that build local communities and economies, create connections between local producers and consumers, and make nutritious food accessible to all. Recognition of the need for change in the food system and interest in creating those changes both have grown rapidly in recent years. Various factors are driving this expansion, such as the obesity epidemic, increasing recognition of the links between food access and diet-related disease, numerous food safety scares, growing demand for local food, and concern over climate change. The overall purpose of this project is to strengthen the capacity of diverse organizations to implement successful, systems-oriented community food projects that will meet the food needs of low-income communities and increase self-reliance. This project will employ a mix of educational, training, and information-sharing methods, all aimed at helping practitioners understand how to implement successful community projects. These methods will include one-to-one technical assistance, small working groups, group trainings and workshops, and national learning communities. They will focus on providing opportunities for practitioners and experts to share practical information about best practices and what does and doesn't work in the field. The expected outcomes and impacts of this project are increased access to resources and information, increased knowledge and understanding of effective methods and approaches, and enhanced skills in key areas of practice. This will lead to in improved capacity to implement successful food projects, and the resulting benefits will include improved access to nutritious foods for low-income communities and improved community self-reliance.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
100%
Goals / Objectives
The overall purpose of this project is to strengthen the capacity of diverse organizations to implement successful, systems-oriented community food projects that will meet the food needs of low-income communities and increase self-reliance. Project goals: A. To increase CFP grant applicants' and potential applicants' understanding of the CFP Program and ability to develop strong proposals. B. To build the capacity of CFP applicants and grantees to implement successful projects by increasing their knowledge and skills in key areas of practice. C. To strengthen the capacity of community-based organizations to qualify for CFP funding and to organize and implement effective projects. D. To increase opportunities for peer learning and information sharing among community food practitioners, and to link them with contacts and resources. E. To enhance coordination and synergies among T&TA providers nationally. F. To build capacity of CFP grantees and applicants to conduct effective and meaningful outcome-based and dialogue-based program evaluations. G. To expand the knowledge base regarding the outputs and outcomes of CFP projects by collecting and reporting data across programs. Anticipated outcomes include: -For CFP applicant assistance recipients, increased understanding of the CFP Program guidelines and requirements, and increased skill and confidence in developing proposals. -For national TA service recipients, increased capacity in areas in which technical assistance was provided; learned about specific and successful CFS practices and new informational resources to use in projects; and built valuable connections with CFP practitioners. -For workshop and learning community (LC) participants, increased knowledge and skills in workshop/LC topic area; learned about specific and successful CFS practices new informational resources to use in their work; and developed new contacts that supported their work. -For common output and outcome tracking participants, increased capacity to report against outputs and outcomes in a way that informs and improves program activities; increased ability to track outcomes among CFP grantees, and increased information about the outputs generated by CFP projects. (A more complete list is included in our proposal.) Anticipated outputs: Two updated CFP planning guides CFP applicant assistance to 90 froups each year (70 hours) National TA Service - 100% response rate to requests 580 hrs of TA provided to 85 groups 3 tip sheets developed; 500 distributed 13 CFP & 5 skill-building workshops; 400+ participants 16 full conference scholarships 2 learning communities (LC); 15 LC conference calls; 300 participants Eval Training; 30 participants CFS Whole Measures (WM) Intensive; 9 participants COTF updated; 5 trainings; 90% completion; data report COTF 4-year summary completed CFP Outcome tool & training completed 75 CFP Evaluation Handbooks & Toolkits, 150 CFS Whole Measures Reports distributed to grantees Evaluation data collection and reporting completed
Project Methods
The Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) and our partners will establish a comprehensive national training and technical assistance program that will address the needs of Community Food Projects (CFP) practitioners at all stages of work and expertise. We will provide potential applicants with written guidance and one-on-one assistance to help them understand the CFP program guidelines and develop competitive proposals. We will help CFP applicants and grantees gain the knowledge and skills they need to implement successful projects through 16-18 in-person skill-building trainings, two national learning communities, and a comprehensive new national TA service that will link practitioners with experienced consultants who will provide them with targeted assistance. All of these training and TA resources will focus on practical issues related to food project implementation. We will place special emphasis on building the capacity of community-based organizations. We also will support CFP grantees with conducting rigorous program evaluations through an in-person training and a free evaluation handbook and toolkit designed specifically for CFP grantees. And we will compile and share information on the outcomes of CFP projects nationwide. CFSC's training and technical assistance activities will involve multiple levels of evaluation, balancing quantitative tracking of program activities and outputs with thoughtful dialogue, outcome analysis, and impact assessment. The Community Food Security Whole Measures will be used as an overarching framework with partners to reinforce a holistic approach to movement building and training and technical assistance. The program outcomes will be measured against our program goals and the legislative goals of the CFP Program. Specific evaluation methods used will include participant verbal feedback, written and online evaluation surveys, mid-project and end-of-project interviews, participant reports, outcome and output tracking, and action planning with evaluation results. Appendices 1 and 2 of our proposal contain the project logic model and an evaluation plan that include details of the proposed outcomes and outputs for each activity, as well as the indicators and tools that will be used for measurement.