Recipient Organization
CAPITAL ROOTS, INC.
594 RIVER ST
TROY,NY 12180
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The Greater Capital Region Food System Assessment (GCRFSA) is based on four counties of consumption (Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady) and eleven counties of production (Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren and Washington). A coalition of agencies, farms, businesses, educational institutions and individuals representing all food system sectors will gather, analyze and apply useful information about the regional production, processing, distribution and consumption. This information and the partnerships the GCRFSA creates will be used to leverage the investment necessary to see a significant increase in the value of local food, while making local food a reliable tool in battling regional food insecurity. Like urban centers across the nation, communities in New York's Capital Region are facing economic and public health challenges that directly threaten the success of future generations. The majority of the population is divided between small, older cities and the growing suburbs that surround them. Despite strong agricultural roots and recent growing support of the local food movement, our foodshed faces a combination of factors that exacerbate the difficulty of establishing a robust and equitable regional food system. On the one hand, most inner-city low-income families in our region live in food deserts with limited access to healthy fresh foods, instead relying on highly processed fast and convenience foods. On the other hand, our regional food system lacks infrastructure and funding to reconstruct distribution networks and processing services to connect farmers with adequate markets. Consequently, many of our region's producers have turned to making the weekly 3.5 to 4 hour drive to sell their products in New York City markets. While selling to NYC markets is a solution for those with sufficient resources to make the weekly trips, for smaller producers in our region, this trip is not feasible. Furthermore, if our regional producers come to solely depend on NYC markets for their economic viability, the stability, strength, and sustainability of our regional food system and economy will be weakened and could be threatened by rising gas prices, market crashes, and environmental/natural disasters.In its planning stage, this multi-year project has created a regional coalition and steering committee with commitments necessary from its myriad partners to agree on activities, create a timetable and determine desired outcomes. Potential markets will be mapped, barriers to expanded production identified, distribution channels diagnosed and bolstered, demand for regional products assessed and business opportunities - especially in local food processing - identified. On the consumption side, food deserts and interventions will be mapped to limit gaps and overlaps. Best practices will be identified and shared to increase fresh food access and decrease diet related illness. For production, processing, and distribution, research will use the tool of a local food economy assessment to identify economic development opportunities in our region, with a focus on smaller farms and food-based businesses. GCRFSA activities will include: Public stakeholder meetings held to refine and communicate assessment efforts, secondary data collection and conduction of community based primary research and analysis. The Assessment will be published in multiple media and formats to ensure it's available and useful to all sectors. Finally, it will create a regional food policy council to help carry out its recommendations.The GCRFSA's research activities and resulting initiatives for change will have a broad and long-lasting impact on the physical and economic health of New York's Capital Region. This project will lead to healthier inner city communities as well as to the preservation of our region's small-farm economy. Most importantly, the Assessment will create a much-needed regional conversation about our food system with emphasis on the experiences of those often left out of the conversation: smaller producers from the rural outskirts of our foodshed and low-income urban consumers, many of whom face frequent challenges in accessing healthy food for themselves and their families. Capital Roots recognizes the need in our region to re-construct our food system according to a new model that dismantles the structural barriers which limit opportunities for many and that strives to build equity by way of economic opportunities and access to affordable healthy foods. The Greater Capital Region Food System Assessment is a key step towards a healthy, vibrant, and sustainable future for our region and New York State.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The goalof this project is to conduct a comprehensive food system assessment in the Greater Capital Region of New York. This research will support the equitable development of our regional food system to build economic resilience and support low-income consumers and small farmers and food-based businesses. The major goal of the planning phase was to assemble a Steering Committee of regional food system stakeholders and engage with them meaningfully in the development of the Assessment. The major goal of the research phase is to engage with academic partners and student interns to conduct research in the sectors of production, processing, distribution, and consumption. Findings from this phase will be published in an end-of-summer report, will be presented at the fall stakeholder forum, and will be used to inform year two of the project's research, which will engage in primary data collection with community partners across the region. The major goal of the publication phase of the project is to publish and disseminate the findings of the assessment to a wide range of stakeholders in our region through a series of forums. Reports will be generated to speak to the interests of different stakeholders in order to create the largest impact.
Project Methods
The research for this project will be conducted using a variety of research methods. There are three main components to accomplish each research objective: Literature Review - to understand how others are talking about and researching the topic; Seconadry Data Collection and Analysis - mainly based off of the literature review, to provide up-to-date analysis of the food system in the Greater Capital Region; Primary Data Collection - using community based research methods, to provide an in-depth understanding of the state of the regional food system, connect regional stakeholders,and to develop well-informed recommendations from findings.Research will be overseen by academic partners from 3 institutions who sit on our Steering Committee: SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Albany, SUNY School of Public Health and The Sage Colleges.Evaluation of the project will occur in preparation for the 2 stakeholder forums to measure the effectiveness and success of research activities in year 1 and year 2 of research.