Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Throughout this project the target audience has remained the broad base of stakeholders either serving on the board of directors, standing committees, and others engaged in either the statewide or a local working group or food policy council. A strong emphasis was placed on engaging low-income and underserved audiences, inviting them to have a voice on the council, and providing input. Over the course of the project, and especially, in the final reporting period, much of the board of directors and food policy council leadership grew to include more diverse organizations. A notable new member was the addition of a tribal extension educator from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to the board of directors, helping to grow the council's connection with Nebraska's tribal communities. Also of note, was recruitment of a representative from Kearney Regional Medical Center in Kearney, NE, making a valuable contribution to the healthcare industry for the council. This statewide food policy council has engaged 20 organizations as well as six individual farms across the state to bring positive changes to the food system. The following organizations have played a part over the course of the project Nebraska Department of Education Nebraska Department of Agriculture Nebraska FFA Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services SNAP Program University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Nebraska Food Cooperative Open Harvest Co-op Grocery Community Action of Nebraska Food Bank for the Heartland Panhandle Public Health Nebraska Association of Health Directors Lincoln Lancaster County Food Policy Council Dakota County Voices for Food Metro Omaha Food Policy Council Nebraskans for Peace Share Our Table Omaha The Big Garden No More Empty Pots Kearney Regional Medical Center Bryan Health Center The Nebraska Farmers Union Six individual ranchers and farmers, both urban and rural, from different areas of the state. Changes/Problems:A major change and challenge has been adapting to our environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning in March 2020, all council in-person events were moved to online formats. Luckily, council leadership and steering committee members were quite acustomed to meeting this way as it's easiest given our geographic locations. However, the transition hindered our ability to recruit new members, especially rural producers who were less technologically experienced. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nebraska legislature interrupted and postponed their 2020 legislative session to the middle of the year. Unfortunately, when this was done many of our policy priorities did not take precedent. This factor has somewhat hindered our policy work in 2020. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Throughout the project, the Nebraska Food Council provided the following training opportunities to its members as well as to general audiences in Nebraska. In an effort to meet the needs of all participants, the council provided mileage reimbursements, meals, stipends to speakers, and often arranged travel and accommodations when those were barriers for attendance. April 2018 - A seminar on "Food Policy Councils 101" with Mark Winne was held. Newly appointed board of directors and steering committee were able to join by phone, video conference and in person to all be at the same training. Summer 2018 - An online Local Food Leader training and certification program was made available to all board and committee members. This training was developed and delivered by Iowa State University Extension's nationwide certification program. The Local Food Leader certification is intended for beginning local food practitioners and teaches the core competencies for successful involvement in community food systems development. August 2018 - A commenting and input period for the statewide community food systems assessment was opened and offered. This was NFC's first time engaging a researcher and contributing to the layout and development of a public report. August 2018 - Connected tribal members from Winnebago to an urban gardening neighborhood for a tour to learn more about building a community food system with very little space to consider approaches to growing more local food. September 2018 - A two-day workshop on Community Food Systems training with Iowa State University. This training provides participants with the knowledge to provide technical assistance and conduct research to lead communities through local food system projects. October 2018 - A public film viewing of Food Frontiers, highlighting innovative approaches to food access, followed by a panel discussion with local food systems leaders and led by national food policy expert, Mark Winne October 2018 - Apply skills learned in the ISU trainings during a working session of the council with Mark Winne with ranking and prioritizing the policy agenda items down to action items with most interest - SNAP Double Up Food Bucks expansion, Farm to School incentives for purchasing for either schools or farmers November 2018 - Engaged council members in cottage food producer resources, regulations, and an opportunity to engage on local policy proposed to expand Nebraska's Pure Food Act. These amendments to expand the cottage food laws were successfully passed and implemented. December 2018 - Connected council members to resources within the John Hopkins University Food Policy Networks monthly, "Network Weaving Sessions" to build capacity about running and activating a network January 2019 - Helped apply and connect a diverse small group of women from Nebraska Dept. of Education's farm to school program and Nebraska Farm to School network, Santee Sioux community food project, and a female small-scale vegetable farmer to a coaching call with June Holley after application was selected by Food Policy Network for the opportunity. August 2019 - The council gathered at Bryan Medical Center in Lincoln, Neb. to learn about how this institution hired a chef who developed relationships with farmers, the impact it is having on farmers, and how it is transforming their own thoughts about patient care. October 2019 - The council coordinator convenes with community leaders in Emerson, NE. The council is able to connect the community to Nebraska Cooperative Development to begin a cooperative based project in the community. November 2019 - The council steering committee convenes with the new coordinator and sets priorities for the upcoming year. February 2020 - Council members gather at the state capitol for a hearing in support of legislation to expand the Double Up Food Bucks program. February 2020 - Council members gather for a large in-person meeting where they successfully elect a new board of directors and recruit new members. February 2020 - UNL Extension, in collaboration with the council, holds the regional food systems summit in Papillion, NE to educate residents on food system issues. April 2020 - The first virtual Food Chat is held on producer needs during COVID-19. May 2020 - A Food Chat is held to build connections between producers and school food service directors to expand farm to school programs. June 2020 - A Food Chat is held on the rules and regulations surrounding value-added products in Nebraska. July 2020 - Mark Winne holds a second "Food Policy Councils 101" training with the NFC, the audience is made up of new and old members of the board of directors as well as the steering committee. During the training, the council forms three standing committees on policy, governance, and communications. July 2020 - A Food Chat is held on rural stress and wellness, especially for producers during COVID-19. August 2020 - The NFC held a general training on SNAP policy to educate council leadership and general members. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Throughout the project, outreach regarding the formation of the council, the inaugural board members, the audience the council is intended for, and the food system assessment release have been largely disseminated through inter-organizational communication and sharing. Participating organizations have been encouraged to share through their channels and networks. The Center for Rural Affairs has used traditional media outlets such as radio, TV, print and digital media sources, as well as social media. Print and email newsletter articles to the Center's Nebraska and national audiences have also been placed. Staff have accepted interviews by local outlets to discuss the council and its goals more. From September 1, 2017 to August 30, 2020 the Nebraska Food Council appeared in the following through the Center for Rural Affairs. Media Placements - 182 Blogs - 24 Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn) - 60 Newsletter - 4 Enewsletter - 4 Publications - 1 (1 report) Media releases - 8 Weekly columns - 5 What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Outcome 1a: Broad membership and representative leadership developed for sustainable NFPC The project has successfully created a broad coalition of food system stakeholders from across Nebraska. Beginning in 2017, the small food policy working group that was formed by CFRA progressed into a statewide food policy council named the Nebraska Food Council (NFC). From the beginning, the NFC put an emphasis on attracting representation from all food sectors and income levels across the state. The council's bylaws require that its board of directors (BOD) represent each diverse region of Nebraska as well as different food sectors; such as production, distribution, retail, health care, and natural resources. The bylaws also highlight the need for a SNAP recipient to be present on the council. The leadership realizes that to understand food assistance policy you must have representation from those who receive it. Today, the NFC operates a seven member board of directors, a five member steering committee, and a general membership that consistently engages 20 to 25 individuals. With minimal exceptions, general membership has met on a quarterly basis throughout the life of the project. In February 2020, a newly elected BOD, along with the steering committee, began meeting on a monthly basis. This operational structure is in accordance with council bylaws. NFC's priorities over the past three years have ranged from researching, writing, and endorsing policy to providing educational opportunities on food and agriculture literacy. Outcome 1b: Foundation developed for regional food policy council formation As a result of this project, a strong partnerships formed between the NFC and University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Extension. In late 2018, a team of Extension staff took part in a community food systems training managed through the NFC and facilitated by Iowa State University. As a result, regional food system education was prioritized at UNL Extension with program goals associated with the NFC mission. This partnership remains strong today. In early 2020, as a result of the NFC's leadership on farm to school, U.S. Congressman Jeff Fortenberry contacted council members for recommendations on how to remove barriers for schools to procure local food. The communcation that resulted from this interaction has helped to lay a foundation for additional food systems policy work in the region. The project has led local Nebraska communities to seek an interest in food system work. In September 2019, the village of Emerson NE received technical guidance from the NFC on how to respond to the loss of a grocery store in the community. In August 2020, community leaders in York, NE sought guidance on how to organize a local food policy council in their own community. As the NFC continues to grow, it's the hope of its members that it offers guidance to more communities throughout the state on food system issues. Outcome 1c: Stakeholders across food system sectors are aware of linkages and how to communicate with other sectors NFC has created a pipeline of communication across notable organizations in Nebraska. Prior to the project, partners feared that too many food system efforts across the state were being duplicated. The NFC has bridged the communication gap by acting as a network for these organizations. With representatives from each on the NFC, they're able to collaborate and keep in regular communication. Outcome 2a: Nebraska community food assessment informs NFC In February 2019, a statewide community food systems assessment titled, "Biting Into Food Access, A View of Nebraska's Food System," was released. This food systems assessment created an improved understanding of each food system sector to members of the NFC. As each member has a specific role in the food system, this guide has been able to educate them on the roles of their peers. In addition, this assessment is available to the public and was distributed to all 49 state Senators in the Nebraska legislature. Council members were able to discuss the report with members of the legislative agriculture committee and bring to light opportunities of engagement and relevant action items for policy makers and community developers to explore. Outcome 2b: Public is aware of food system issues The NFC has worked to educate the public on food system issues through media and education. Policy endorsements by the NFC have included press releases as well as blogs through CFRA media. On December 9, 2019 a press release titled Bring Responsible Food Choices into Schools detailed the NFC's endorsement of the Farm to School Act and Kids Eat Local Act. This content brought numerous interview requests on the issue from local print media and radio. In late 2019, NFC began to discuss the formation of a routine workshop series in partnership with UNL Extension to inform the public on local food issues. In March 2020, the first Food Chat was held on how to address producer needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequent Food Chats followed on the following topics; farm to school, value added products, cottage food laws, and rural wellness. In addition to the Food Chats, the NFC also collaborated with UNL Extension on a Regional Food Systems Summit in 2019 and 2020. This annual event brought stakeholders together to hear speakers on topics such as Farm to School, Food Sovereignty on Native American lands, and New Business Opportunities in the Food Sector. Outcome 3a: Nebraska food system vision and action plan lays out intended food policy and food system changes The NFC's mission is to strengthen Nebraska's economy and environment while fostering food security for all Nebraskans through broad collaboration. Over the course of the project the NFC has endorsed several policies to promote this mission. In the Spring of 2019, an opportunity to support and sign onto a Fair Food Network petition on SNAP Double Up Food Bucks expansion was presented and the council voted to lend their voice to this initiative and sign on. Other 2019 efforts included providing testimony, both written and verbal, in favor of keeping a Beginning Farmer tax credit in the state, the addition of a Veteran Beginning Farmer incentive, resolutions to form task forces around healthy soils and climate change, and most notably, the expansion of the Nebraska True Foods Act (cottage food bill). Council members not only provided written and verbal testimony for the expansion of cottage foods, but also took part in writing letters to the editor and contacting their state senators. They also provided cottage foods to senators as an education tool to show what cottage food products looked like. As a result, this bill moved forward and passed. In early 2020, NFC members began discussing the state's farm to school program with state senators. As a result, an legislative interim study was formed to examine Nebraska's farm to school programs. Several NFC members currently serve on a task force for this study with the intention of producing a report and legislation on farm to school. This legislation will be the first that the NFC has directly assisted in writing. Outcome 3b: NFPC members gain skills, connections, and organization to effect policy change and take other appropriate action. Throughout this project, NFC members have received consistent training on the operations of food policy councils. Food Policy Council expert Mark Winne conducted two board of directors onboarding seminars in April 2018 and July 2020. In September 2018, NFC members took part in a two day workshop on community food systems held by Iowa State University (ISU) Extension. Each of these professional development opportunities have strengthened the understanding of food systems of the members and made them better prepared to manage a food policy council that engages members in the process.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
The Nebraska Statewide Community Food Assessment was an important tool in pulling together all existing third party data into one concise report that reflects the current state of the food systems in Nebraska. It allowed the council to identify important data to highlight and action items to pursue.
Biting Into Food Access: A View of Nebraska's Food Systems
Mcguffey, M. (2019). Biting into Food Access, A View of Nebraska's Food System. Lyons, NE: Center for Rural Affairs. https://www.cfra.org/publications/biting-food-access-view-nebraskas-food-system
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Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience for this reporting period have remained the broad base of stakeholders either serving on the board of directors, standing committees, and others engaged in either the statewide or a local working group or food policy council. A strong emphasis remains on engaging low-income and underserved audiences, inviting them to have a voice on the council, and providing input. A new audience has emerged in this reporting period as the statewide council has engaged state legislators on policy issues they've engaged in, as well as educating the general public on policy initiatives the council decided to lend to support to. Changes/Problems:We requested, and were granted, an extension on this project to provide us with more time to focus on regional development which has taken longer than we anticipated. We discovered less readiness in rural areas and little to no work done in most of the communities we were engaged in. However, this is changing and timing seems right to pursue now. Through the help of our partners, for example, we discoverd a tri-state working group that the western part of the state engages in as it is geographically closer. We intend to engage them and encourage participation of local councils in both the statewide body as well as the proposed rural advisory. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Through the first half of this project, the council has provided multiple opporutnities for training and professional development. They have included: August 2018 - Connected tribal members from Winnebago to a urban gardening neighborhood for a tour to learn more about building a community food system for their own people September 2018 - A two-day workshop on Community Food Systems training with ISU October 2018 - A public event highlighting innovative approaches to food access followed by a panel discussion with local food leaders and led by national food policy expert, Mark Winne October 2018 - Apply skills learned in the ISU trainings during a working session of the council with Mark Winne with ranking and prioritizing the policy agenda items down to action items with most interest - SNAP Double Up Food Bucks expansion, Farm to School incentives for purchasing for either schools or farmers November 2018 - Engaged council members in cottage food supports and how to engage to support this at a policy level December 2018 - Connected counci lmember to the John Hopkins University Food Policy Network's monthly, "Network Weaving Sessions" to build capacity about running and activating a network January 2019 - Connected a diverse small group of women from Nebraska Dept. of Education's farm to school program and Nebraska Farm to School network, Santee Sioux community food project, and a female small-scale vegetable farmer to a coaching call with June Holley after being selected by Food Policy Network for the opportunity August 2019 - The council gathered at Bryan Medical Centerin Lincoln, Neb. to learn about how this institution hired a chef who developed relationships with farmers,the impact it is having on farmers, and how it is transforming their own thoughts about patient care. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been desseminated in the following ways to communities of interest: Targeted print, TV, digital, email, and social media distribution through CFRA's state, regional, and national media networks, including using the Nebraska Public News Service membership Use of private online groups such as regional Facebook groups for sustainable agriculture and local food Distribution through partner organizations and their networks, such as list servs and email distribution lists Word of mouth through council members and distribution through their own networks, newsletters, and list servs. Utilizing associated project areas and partners to communicate to underserved populations such as low-income, SNAP recipients, Native and African Americans, Latinos, Immigrant populations, women, and rural populations in general What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period, there will be a continued emphasis on regional activity and supporting the formation of local councils, continued support for initiatives and direction the statewide council will take in the upcoming legislative session, beginning theprocess for those wishing to go off the council after their 2 year terms and election of new board of directors,building membership, exploringoptions for sustainability beyond the life of the planning grant funding, and identify additional capacity building opportunities.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Organize food systems using statewide food policy council and regional action All of the major activities reported during the last reporting period have continued in order to curate and encourage continued engagement. The statewide food policy council continues to meet every 6 weeks, and the standing committees continue to meet regularly. Council members are beginning to build a rapport and know how to reach out across sectors and into the regional areas. With the board of directors in place and regular meetings occuring, more attention has been able to be devoted to regional activities where there are few local or regional food councils in the state and just a handful of active working groups centering around food system issues or activities. There were several opportunities to engage at the regional level this reporting period: October 2018 - We hosted a regional conversationin Nebraska City, Nebraska with a presentation of a short documentary film featuring 5 examples of innovative food access efforts. Following the film, a panel discussion facilitated by Mark Winne, was held featuring 5 local experts in food systems from southeasternNebraska. 30 people were in attendance and it was a very engaging regional dialogue. A preview of the community food assessment was shared, with highlights from the report. Intentional engagement of underserved and low-income audiences was done to bring a diverse audience. November 2018 - Asmall group interested in reconnecting after the October event to form an intertribal dialogue and a future committee for intertribal discussion on food systems. Due to the political and social dynamics, the dialogue between the tribes have waxed and waned, but were renewed with an interest in coming together over food sovereignty. June 2019 Emerson, Neb. (Northeast) -We provided assistance to the Village of Emersonform a food policy council as the community's response to the grocery store closing in Decebmer 2018. We continue to support their meetings and connect them to resources for a cooperative grocery store model, community garden and farmers market development, edible landscapes and orchards, farm to school programming,developing value-added businesses, and engaging low-income and immigrant populations in their community. We also met with a group from West Point interested in starting a community garden as a way to engage Latino families, provide a source of fresh foods for the community, and provide inclusive food programming and training to potenitally grow their small farmer's market. Southeast Neb. -We provided advising to a working group in the southeast 7-county region of Nebraska interested in forming a working group centered around a shared-use/incubator kitchen space, engaging low-income audiences and exploring the needs of the immigrant populations. The participants expressed interestinclusive food programs, community gardens, and fresh food demonstrations. We offered our support and next steps for engaging others in the dialogue. Objective 2: Develop understanding of current food system and future needs We took an intentional approach to meeting individually with each of the board of directors in person to sit down, discuss the council's potential and gather input to learn of their interests, goals, and answer questions about how the food policy council may play a role and where they see themselves in it. As a result of Extension's participation in the council, a new regional food systems team was born and we were able to connect council members to their inaugural summit in January 2019 with a goal to learn about the current food system and the future needs, who the players were, and to get a greater understanding of what was happening across the state with regard to food systems work. A focus of this team's work will also include engagement of low-income food access advocacy, work in food deserts, and building the infrastructure of Nebraska while bringing already organizational partners to the table. In Febraury 2019, the statewide community food assessment, "Biting into Food Access," was released and shared statewide through a heavy media campaign, personal outreach, and distribution to 49 legislators before the session ended at the Nebraska Legislature. Council members were also able to sit down with members of the agriculture committee to further discuss the report's findings. In August 2019, University of Nebraska Extension proposed to form a rural advisory together with the food policy council to create a regional space for sharing and connections to the council for regional representation. Objective 3: Promote policy change and other action to improve food systems Continued support and capacity building opportunities were provided throughout the reporting period to the statewide food policy council participants,regional food systems leaders, as well ascommunity members interested and/or invited to attend.? In the Spring of 2019, an opportunity to support and sign onto a Fair Food Network petition on SNAP Double Up Food Bucks expansion was presented and the council voted to lend their voice to this intiative and sign on. The majority of the spring, the council agreed to lend its name and engagement to bills and resoluations up for hearings in the Nebraska Legislature. These efforts included providing testimony, both written and verbal, in favor of keeping a Beginning Farmer tax credit in the state, the addition of a Veteran Beginning Farmer incentive, resolutions to form task forces around healthy soils and climate change, and most notably, the expansion of the Nebraska True Foods Act (cottage food bill). Council members not only provided written and verbal testimony for the expansion of cottage foods, but also took part in writing letters to the editor, contacting their state senators, visiting the Unicameral on key days to engage senators in a conversation with cottage food producers, as well as provide cottage foods to senators as an education tool to now only know who this would help, but what cottage food products looked like. As a result, this bill moved forward and passed.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Nebraska Statewide Community Food Assessment
https://www.cfra.org/publications/BitingIntoFoodAccess
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Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Currently, the Nebraska Food Council steering and nominations committee, inaugural board of directors, and those serving in advisory roles includes a broad range of affiliations of the food system sectors: Government and university: Nebr Department of Agriculture; Department of Health and Human Services SNAP Program, Nebraska Department of Education Nutrition Services, University of Nebraska Extension, and University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources; Rural and urban food production: ranchers and farmers,Latino beginning farmers, andBig Garden Omaha;Food distribution, retail, and processing: Nebraska Food Cooperative, Open Harvest Co-op Grocery, Common Good Farm & CSA, ASC Meat Lockers, and UNL Food Processing Center;Hunger and poverty: Community Action of Nebraska, Food Bank of Lincoln;Public health: Panhandle Public Health, Nebraska Association of Health Directors;Healthcare and nutrition: Executive Chef, Bryan Medical Center,Environment: Nebraska Land Trust; independent University of Nebraska professor focused on land use and environmental issues;Local food systems: Lincoln Lancaster County Food Policy Council, Dakota County Voices for Food, Metro Omaha Food Policy Council;Native Nations:Omaha, Santee, and Winnebago Tribes; andGrassroots advocacy: Nebraskans for Peace, Nebraska Farmers Union, and Nebraska Appleseed. Our efforts to initially engage low-income and underserved or minority populations have largely centered on engagement of a wide variety of individuals and type of organizations that represent them in the food system. Efforts have been used to bring members together in person or by video and/or conference call to meet and share about their work or interest in the food policy council, as well as build capacity for those who may not yet visualize their role in a food policy council, and creating a small corps of local food leaders to emerge this food system work in Nebraska. These efforts have included an online seminar with Mark Winne on the basics of food policy councils, how they work, and what they do, engaging all council members and related advisors to provide input on the statewide community food assessment, arranging for additional online local food system leader training and certification offered nationally through Iowa State University (ISU) Extension, as well as an in-person two-day workshop for those interested in taking the ISU Community Food Systems certification. This certification will continue to build capacity within our own staff working with different areas of the food system and support local councils, but also build the capacity of the council. Those who take the two-day certification will be eligible to join a train the trainer cohort in 2019, allowing them to take this type of training to their work projects and local councils within the 6 regions and beyond. Changes/Problems:The timing of the report has been delayed from Spring of 2018 to Fall of 2018, due to the availability and work load of the researcher, and her anticipated time on this project. This has caused the council to be in sort of a lull over the summer months, but we've discoverd with heavy involvement from producers and processors, that the timing of this is a bit better. The timing of the fall release also allows the council to be able to be able to review the report and actively provide input during a time of year that is a bit slower with the seasons as well. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?To date, the council has provided the following training opportunities recognizing that different levels of education and knowledge are rounding out the membership of the inaugural board and standing committees: April 2018 - a seminar on "Food Policy Councils 101" with Mark Winne was held. Members were able to join by phone, video conference and in person to all be at the same training. Summer 2018 - an online Local Food Leader training and certification program was made available to all board and committee members. This training was developed and delivered by Iowa State University Extension's nationwide certification program. August 2018 - a commenting and input period for the statewide community food systems assessment has been opened and offered. This will be a first time working with a researcher and contributing to a public report. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Outreach regarding the formation of the council, the inaugural board members, the audience the council is intended for, and the future report release have been largely disseminated through inter-organizational communication and sharing. Participating organizations have been encouraged to share through their channels and networks. We have also used traditional media outlets such as radio, TV, print and digital media sources, as well as social media. Print and email newsletter articles to the Center's Nebraska and national audiences have also been placed. Staff has accepted interviews by local outlets to discuss the council and its goals more. Center for Rural Affairs is also a Nebraska Public News Service member, so staff worked to develop an article with this outlet that pursues placements. The article was also translated to Spanish, and those placements are currently being made. This public effort in the traditional media outlets is designed to start disseminating the idea of food policy councils, whom is desired to be engaged, attract additional inviduals and organizations to the project, and alert to a future release of a report along with events designed to educate and inform in local communities. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Sept. 2018 A two-day workshop will be offered to continue to educate, inform, and build capacity within the council and related staff and community partners to 25 people. This training is focused on Community Food Systems and also provides an additional certification and opportunity to become a trainer in Nebraska. ISU Extension is also offering this programming to organizations through their national certification program pilot. ISU will use the data from the statewide assessment to weave into the training and create real-time examples of possible priority projects, focus in on systems thinking, and facilitate designingstrategy. Members of the council will also be interviewed about their work and involvement in the council for media releases. These stories will be used to help personify the council and attract in additional members of the general membership to the council, as well as help identify some additional regional gatekeepers and leaders within the regional work. Oct. 2018 The statewide community food assessment will be released and a surrounding media campaign will follow. We will invite members of the council to share this widely within their organizations and community networks, list servs, and media outlets. A public event featuring a program showcasing innovative healthy food access projects will be shown, followed by a local food system panel facilitated by Mark Winne. The day following the public event, Mark Winne willprovide a closed working session for the council to revisit priorities identified in thereport and help set action steps. Ideally, members will leave this work session with a clear view on their role in the council and awork plan for the next year. Additonal activities for the remainder of the grant period: Working with partners to continue to bring forward general membership and additional interest in serving on the council, paying particular attention to methods designed to reach low-income, underserved or minority population voices that are often unheard or may not attend public events. Design community forums or activities to reach these demographics and provide eduation and information about food policy councils and their role. Educate and inform general public of priority areas of the report, continuing to cultivate relationships in order to penetrate areas where our message is going unheard. Establish and/or support 6 regional councils in their efforts and ensuring that a voice is present on the statewide council from each of the regions identified.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In a state that is successfully marketing its meat and grain products across the nation and the world, it is often difficult for the public at large to understand the vulnerability ofNebraska's regional food systems when it comes to feeding the rest of the plate to our own residents. In a 2015 report by the Center for Rural Affairs, we found that nearly $5 billion is spent on food annually, with 95% of that money going out of state to import foods from other states and stock the shelves of our supermarkets and local grocery stores or online purchases directly to consumers and wholesalers. With food deserts impacting both rural and urban communities statewide and the great distances people will drive for food in rural areas, we saw the need to come together with other concerned organziations to build a statewide food policy council that is informed by the local councils in various regions of this geographically large state to better understand the barriers and successes to production, aggregation, and distribution channels, as well as hear from the voices in the state that are most impacted by low, healthy food access. Objective 1: Organize food systems using statewide food policy council and regional action Outcome 1a: Broad membership and representative leadership developed for sustainable NFPC Outcome 1b: Foundation developed for regional food policy council formation Outcome 1c: Stakeholders across food system sectors are aware of linkages and how to communicate with other sectors All of these major activities will require ongoing engagement and curation. Our findings were that we ended up with a vastly different set of individuals on the council than who came to the initial meetings since their organization paid their time to attend. As a result, we have a much more varied representation of food system players on the board and standing committees. The foundation is beginning to develop for developing regional food policy councils as the board continues to settle in and invision their role as a food system leader. Stakeholders across the food system are becoming aware of linkages, as well as lack of bridges, to communicating with other sectors, but we are encouraging that bridge building to occur on the council by supporting one another and informing one another. We are aware of challenges already that are creating some difficulty in including underserved voices in the council, but with additional capacity building and training, we will be creating a group of leaders skilled in doing so. Objective 2: Develop understanding of current food system and future needs Outcome 2a: Nebraska community food assessment informs NFPC Outcome 2b: Public is aware of food system issues On this date, the first draft of the statewide community food system assessment has been released and is out for commeting to the council and standing committees. This is creating a situation for greater cohesion amongthe council as they review areas of the report that are not necessarily in their area of work and this unintentional side affect of helping to bridge sectors is occurring in this process, as well as provide additional education to council members on areas where the council could prioritize projects and create strategy for action items. There are some existing local food policy council groups creating good awareness of food system issues, but largely existing near the metro areas of Lincoln, Omaha, and the tri-state Sioux City region. Objective 3: Promote policy change and other action to improve food systems Outcome 3a: Nebraska food system vision and action plan lays out intended food policy and food system changes Outcome 3b: NFPC members gain skills, connections, and organization to effect policy change and take other appropriate action A vision statement has been created and approved by the council that lays the foundation for potential food policy and food system changes. Seminars, information sharing, and online local food leader training opportunities have been provided to the council and committee members to gain skills and make connections. The community food assessment will guide the council in identifying priority projects and setting strategy to promote policy change and other actions to improve food systems.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Community Food Projects
INDICATORS OF SUCCESS FY 2017
Prepared by New Entry Sustainable Farming Project
April 2018
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