This presentation is a review of what we've accomplished during the first two years of our project, which focuses on research, education, outreach, and advocacy to address food security in urban areas.

1. Evaluating Innovation and Promoting Success in
Community and Regional Food Systems
Research, education, outreach, and advocacy
to address food security in urban areas
Co-Principal Investigators:
Steve Ventura, Professor, Soil Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Will Allen, CEO, Farmer and Founder, Growing Power, Inc.

2. A collaboration of
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Growing Power
University of Wisconsin-Extension
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute
and numerous community partners:
Center for Resilient Cities, Chicago Food Policy Council, Community
Groundworks, Community Services Unlimited of Los Angeles, Detroit Black
Community Food Security Network, Food Project, Growing Home, Hunger Task
Force, Iowa County RC&D, Los Angeles Food Policy Council, Michigan State
University, Sixteenth Street Community Health Center, Walnut Way Conservation
Corp., Wayne State University
AND MORE
Supported by the United States Department of Agriculture
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
USDA Award 2011-68004-30044

3. Project Components
• Education
– high school: PEOPLE program
– college: internships, graduate practicums
• Outreach
– training
– assessment
– communication
– webinars and website
• Research
– CRFS framework
– city profiles
– community innovation fund projects
• Advocacy
– Farm bill
– food policy councils
• Community Engagement Projects

4. Project Components
• Education
– high school: PEOPLE program
– college: internships, graduate practicums
• Outreach
– training
– assessment
– communication
– webinars and website
• Research
– CRFS framework
– city profiles
– community innovation fund projects
• Advocacy
– Farm bill
– food policy councils
• Community Engagement Projects

5. Education
• UW-Madison PEOPLE program
– Pre-college Enrichment Opportunity Program
for Learning Excellence
– Pipeline to college for students of color and
low income students
• CRFS addition to PEOPLE:
– Development of urban agriculture curricula
• 1 week, 3 week programs
• High school internships
– Collaboration with Milwaukee high schools

6. Education
• PEOPLE and pizza

7. Outreach
• Webinars
– Fall 2011 series
– Spring 2013 series
– eXtension Community of Practice
• Website
– Blogs
– Resources – theses, publications, etc.
– Videos – voices of the people

8. Outreach - website

9. Outreach - website
• vox populi

10. Project Components
• Research – the (evolving) CRFS Framework
– Characterizing community and regional food
systems
– Enhancing communication
– Pointing toward evaluation approaches
– Built on previous efforts
• several versions of food system cycles
• Whole Measures, Community Food Security Coalition

11. Project Components
• Research – the (revolving) CRFS
Framework

12. Community Engagement
Projects
• “Community owned” projects
– defined by and with community partners
– serving community-identified needs
• Small and rapid, but consequential
– (but sometimes they grow!)
• Oriented to building relationships and trust
– not “parachute” solutions
– balance of leadership
– overcoming historic antipathy to authority

13. Community Engagement
• Examples
Projects
– Carrots to Schools
– CFPAC Land Tenure Strategy
– CFPAC Supply Chain Workgroup
– Cover Cropping Vegetable Plots
– Creating Favorable Ordinances for Urban Agriculture
– Development of a Statewide Food Policy Council
– Evaluation of LA Food Policy Council Initiatives
– Food Enterprise Development Network
– Food Waste Composting for Urban Soils
– Gardening for Empowerment
– Growing Power Inventory
– Healthy Corner Stores Initiative (North Side Milwaukee)
– Hunger Task Force Farm Support
– Institute for Urban Agriculture & Nutrition
– Lead in Urban Environments
– South Side Milwaukee Healthy Food Access Coalition

14. Community Engagement
• Project Access
Southside Milwaukee Food
– Influencing consumer behavior and choice
– Partners: local health service and food retailers
– Building and supporting local leadership

15. Community Engagement
• Projecttheir show:
Southside Food Access –

16. Community Engagement
• Project – Madison
Gardens for Empowerment
• Growing Healthy Soil – Milwaukee

17. Community Engagement
• Project
Growing Healthy Soil – lead in urban environments
• Collaboration:
- Medical College of Wisconsin
- 16th Street Health Clinic
- Walnut Way
• Help residents with back yard gardens
- Support
- Benefits
- Risks

18. Community Engagement
• Project
Chicago Grown label
– CFPAC activity
– CRFS guided

19. Community Engagement
• Project
Milwaukee school vegetables
– Growing Power and the carrot conundrums
• Cost
• Processing
• Sourcing
– Leading to a melange of local procurement

20. Community Engagement
• Project
Hunger Task Force
– moribund county prison farm turned into food
pantry supplier

21. CRFS Lessons
• Collective impact
• Food justice and food sovereignty
• Community/university/extension
partnerships
• Food system services
• Scaling up

22. CRFS Lessons
• Collective impact
• Food justice and food sovereignty
• Community/university/extension
partnerships
• Food system services
• Scaling up

23. CRFS Lessons – Food Justice
• Detroit food club -> food coop (innovation
fund)
• Dismantling racism workshops

24. CRFS Lessons – Food System
•Parallel concept toServicesservices
ecosystem
• “Values” wheel of framework
• Builds on CFSC Whole Measures for Community
Food Systems

25. CRFS Lessons – Food System
• Services
Metrics to measure food system services
– Growing Power inventory
– Urban markets survey
– Milwaukee Food Policy Council assessment

26. Looking Forward
• Within CRFS
– Innovation Fund Research
– Graduate practicums
• Enduring beyond CRFS
– Institute on Urban Agriculture and Nutrition
– Wisconsin Food Policy Council
– The Good Food Revolution