1. March 2012
Search Conference
Building on the work begun at the
Capacity Building Forum, participants
learned from one another’s successes
and challenges, and identified specific
action for addressing community food
security in the region.
August 2012
Dynamic
Governance
Workshop
Two AFP team members and four
community partners participated
in a workshop on Dynamic Self-
Governance. Their participation
resulted in a new management
structure that included 6 community
representatives (October 2013).
Winter 2013
State meetings to
prepare for CFSA
workshop
State meetings were held with
community partners in NC,WV, and
VA to dialogue about the challenges
and opportunities in each state, and
discuss how the assessment process
could be used to create a foundation
for Collective Impact.
October 2013
Adopt new
management
structure
The AFP inaugurated a
new management structure
using Dynamic Governance.
The new structure created
space for 2 community
representatives from each
state, in addition to AFP
project directors and
graduate students.
May 2015
Begin development
of LocalWiki
platform
LocalWiki is an open source, open
access platform for sharing place-
based knowledge and information. By
using a simple tagging system, we can
pull together complex information,
and build our shared knowledge of
food systems work in the region.
May 2016 Launch
of AFP regional
learnings;
proposed final
conference
Pulling together data from
across the project, the AFP has
identified key learnings for
partners, practitioners, and
academics in the region. First
drafts can be found on LocalWiki:
http://tinyurl.com/afplocalwiki
• Community Complexities
http://tinyurl.com/afpwikicc
• Grassroots Action &
Institutional Change
http://tinyurl.com/afpinstchg
• Creating Spaces for
Transformation
http://tinyurl.com/
afptransform
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
West
Virginia
Working to
supportWV
Food & Farm
Coalition
Partner with
WVU Food
Justice Lab
Expand research
to cover the whole
state: focus groups
and mapping
Dec. 2015
Final AFP
report
Ongoing
research and
support of
WVFFC
North
Carolina
Western NC
Food Security
Advisory
Council
Designed
interview
questions
Fall 2014
interviews
Collaborative
analysis
Focus
groups
Jan. 2016
LaunchWNC
report
Virginia
Appalachian
Virginia Food
Systems
Council
Spring 2014
Spring
informant
interviews
Developed
process for
community
work sessions
Appalachian
Virginia Food
Systems
Network
3 community
work sessions
Spring - Fall
2015
Collaborative
analysis
Support
continued
development
of AVFSN
Community Food Assessments and
Community Engagement Processes
The AFP has worked extensively with community partners to
shape the project in a way that is responsive to the reality of our
diverse, 3-state region.There were differences in access to power
structures, in organizational capacity, in financial capacity. As such,
the assessments evolved differently across the three states, and were
a means of addressing state needs and assets, while also building
learning across the 3-state region.
As a result, we’ve experienced a shift in the way that individuals and
organizations see themselves in the larger system, and they way that
they approach their work.Together, we’ve pushed our thinking and
our boundaries, and we’ve built a strong foundation for collective
impact across the region.
October 2011
Capacity Building
Forum
The Capacity Building Forum brought
together individuals who were
engaged in food systems work across
the region.We identified conditions for
working together and created concept
maps of the food system.
September 2015
Central
Appalachian
Foodshed
Conference
Key stakeholders and
policymakers explored some of the
most pressing issues and exciting
opportunities facing regional
food systems and food security
efforts. Funded by the Virginia
Cooperative Extension Community
Viability endowment fund at
Virginia Tech.
http://tinyurl.com/cafc2015
June 2014
Enhancement
grants (round 1)
North Carolina:
3 projects, $18,000 total
Virginia:
3 projects, $18,000 total
West Virginia:
3 projects, $20,000 total
Spring 2015
Enhancement
grants (round 2)
North Carolina:
2 new projects, 3 continuing
projects, $60,300 total
Virginia:
3 continuing projects,
$6,500 total
West Virginia:
6 new projects, $61,800 total
May 2013
Community
Food Security
Assessment
Workshop
University and Community
Partners worked together
to define the purpose of the
Community Food Security
Assessments in NC,VA,
and WV. Funding from
the Virginia Cooperative
Extension Community
Viability endowment fund.
A collaboration between NC State
University,Virginia Tech,West Virginia
University, and Community Stakeholders.
Funded by a 2011 USDA NIFA-AFRI Grant
(Award No. 2011-68004-30079).