Workshop Descriptions
* Please note that some details may change; we will post changes to this page promptly.
Session 1 | Session 2 | Session 3 | Session 4 | Session 5
Workshop Session 1: Sunday 11:15 AM-12:45 PM
Mexico in Transition: Shifting Diets, Practices and Policies
Room 134
Laura Irizarry Figueroa, National Institute of Public Health
Cristina Barros, Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social, CIESAS
Victor Suarez, Asociacion Nacional de Empresas Comercializadoras de Productos del Campo (ANEC)
Alejandro Calvillo, El Poder del Consumidor
Over the last decades Mexico has undergone a rapid nutrition transition. The rates of under nutrition have declined while obesity has become the most imminent threat to public health. Issues of food insecurity, food safety, access to nutritious food and the limited enforcement of consumer rights threaten the national waistline and collective wellbeing.
Gardening: A Gateway to a “Good Food” System
Room 135
Rose Hayden-Smith, Food and Society Policy Fellow, UC Davis
Angie Tagtow, Food and Society Policy Fellow-Owner, Environmental Nutrition Solutions
In 1943, 40% of the fresh fruits and vegetables consumed in the U.S. were grown in school, home, community and workplace gardens. Today, more than 50% of fresh produce consumed in the U.S. is grown in other countries. This session will explore the role of gardening as a critical component of promoting a healthy, green, fair, accessible, and affordable food system. Participants will come away with strategies to help them develop or enhance garden projects.
Economic Recovery through Local Markets for Fishermen and Farmers
Room 136
Andrianna Natsoulas, Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance
Kim Libby, Fisherman’s Wife, Port Clyde, Maine
John Kinsman, Family Farm Defenders
Moderator: Lisa Griffith, National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC)
Small-scale family farmers and fishermen face similar obstacles and have developed similar solutions to enhance their communities and environments through policy and market transformations that lead to food sovereignty. Workshop participants will outline the need for alternative food markets, identify necessary changes and obstacles to getting there; map out a plan for overcoming the obstacles and, articulate their passion for local food economies through words and by tasting food provided by fishermen and farmers.
Reinventing Food Distribution Without Reinventing the Wheel
Room 138
Sue Futrell, Red Tomato/One Backyard
Betty MacKenzine, Red Tomato
Andrea Geary, Northeast Iowa Farm Food Partnership Project Coordinator
This workshop will consider strategies for growing sustainable distribution, and various approaches to sharing knowledge and developing new networks. Red Tomato and Northern Iowa Farm Food Partnership will discuss their current collaboration, a ‘coaching in context’ approach. Participants involved in any stage of building distribution networks, from start-up to experienced, are invited to help identify strategies that build on successful models while adapting to varying circumstances, regions, and markets.
Mapping Diversity in Community Food Systems
Room 140
Betty Wells, Iowa State University Extension
Bahia Barry, Southwest Iowa Food and Farm Initiative
Claudia Prado-Meza, Iowa State University
Amy Alesch, Iowa State University
Joseph Malual, Iowa State University
Diego Thompson, Iowa State University
Nikki D’Adamo, Iowa State University
This workshop will demonstrate the basics of mapping local food systems, drawing upon two Iowa food systems projects as examples. The map will be hand drawn on flipcharts to facilitate understanding and audience engagement. Discussion will center on and within cross-project implications of social network mapping, with particular attention to the intentional application of strategic networking to cross social divides. Participants are invited to critique the map, and to share their experiences with mapping.
Engaging Stakeholders in Farm to College Programs
Room 141
Nancy Levandowski, Iowa State University, Dining Service Director
Garry Griffith, Augustanna College, Dining Service Director
Neal Wipking, Grinnell College student
Ben Hellerstein, Carleton College, the Real Food Challenge
Moderator: Sue Debliek, Healthy Acadia
This workshop will focus on strategies for engaging students, food service staff, and the larger community in building successful farm to college programs. Participate in small group discussions with experienced student organizers on how to engage students both on campus and nationally, and with experienced dining service directors on how to secure support from a resistant dining service staff. The workshop will also discuss effective methods for integrating the program within both the campus and larger community.
Building a Research Blueprint for a Healthier Food System
Room 142
David Wallinga, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Rich Pirog, Leopold Center, Iowa State University
Amy Yaroch, Center for Community Nutrition
Public health researchers largely agree the existing food system is at odds with health, especially that of children. This workshop reviews the findings of a recent conference around a blueprint for research to drive the change toward a healthier, more sustainable food system, and how local advcocates can think about that research in terms of their own work.
Fresh, Local Food for ALL: Increasing Access to and Diversity within CSA
Room 144
Kiera Mulvey, Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition (MACSAC)
Laura Dowd, Local Foods Connection, Iowa City, IA
Gini Knight, Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition (MACSAC)
Susan Jutz, Farmer for Local Harvest CSA, Solon, IA
Community Supported Agriculture has the potential to be the backbone of a strong, secure food system. In recent years CSA has surged in popularity, however, access to CSA and diversity of membership is still limited. This session will be facilitated by two successful organizations with CSA programs for low income families. Learn about our projects and share ideas to increase access to and diversity within CSA in rural and urban communities.
Improving Access to Local Healthy Foods Through the New WIC Package
Room 146
Andy Fisher, Community Food Security Coalition
JoAnne Berkenkamp, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Vanessa Zajfen, Center for Food and Justice
The WIC program is implementing a long awaited change to its food package, most notably to include fruits and vegetables. With over $600 million per year to be spent on produce, this program could help to dramatically improve access to healthy food in underserved communities. Speakers will talk about efforts in Los Angeles to connect local farmers with WIC-only stores and in Minneapolis to get produce into corner stores. They will also solicit discussion about farmers’ markets as eligible vendors based on the findings of a recently released national study.
Local Foods for Economic Recovery
Room 148
Ken Meter, Crossroads Resource Center
Sarah Hackney, Gorge Grown Food Network
Ashley Colpaart, Farm Aid, intern, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University
Economic stimulus money for preventive health, and established funds for environmental protection offer significant tools for building local foods infrastructure. Yet county and state officials often do not know of their existence, nor do they always understand the importance of local foods. Come to this workshop to learn about successful efforts in other states, and to strategize with others about how best to make the case for local foods as economic recovery.
Workshop Session 2: Sunday 4 – 5:30 PM
Commodity to Community Follow-Up Discussion
Room 143
Cathleen Kneen, Food Secure Canada
Hal Hamilton, Sustainable Food Lab
Eduardo Sanchez, Blue Shield/Blue Cross of TX
Engage in a discussion with speakers from the preceding plenary, From Commodity to Community: Pathways To The Possible.
Farm to School: Getting Started and Maximizing Impact
Room 134
Anupama Joshi, National Farm to School Network – Center for Food & Justice, Urban Environmental Policy Institute
Kathy Lawrence, School Food FOCUS
Kymm S. Mutch, Milwaukee Public Schools
Farm to cafeteria is hot! But how does one get started, and how can we coordinate efforts for maximum positive impact ? Using real-life problems generated from you, experts from the National Farm to School Network and School Food FOCUS will highlight possible strategies learnt from existing programs, guiding each participant towards some concrete next steps to make farm to school happen in their area. Existing resources and technical assistance you can tap into will be introduced.
Reduce Waste/Reduce Hunger in Your Community
Room 135
Carl Woestwin, Seattle Public Utilities
Learn about a comprehensive set of programs to reduce, reuse and recycle food in the waste stream developed by Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). From helping restaurants and cafeterias create less waste to helping divert edible food to food banks and feeding programs to increasing the amount of inedible food turned into compost, the utility can save money and resources. SPU has also found a role in educating residents about food production. Taken together, these programs help recover the embodied energy in food, reduce greenhouse emissions from organic wastes, and contribute to community food security.
Community Food Processing & Culinary Job Training
Room 138
Rita H Hindin, Maria Isabel Centers
Jay Weinstein, Mary Isabel Centers
This workshop will discuss the presenters’ current work-in-progress, the Maria Isabel Center of Newark, NJ and the role of this center and others like it in the larger vision of re-vitalizing American communities. These centers have the potential to be valuable for food security, improved food options, community development (business incubation, culinary workforce development), nutrition/culinary education, health promotion, our ecosystem, support of farms, food artisans, and animal welfare, and plain old community.
Are Farmers Markets a SNAP? The Latest in Connecting Food Stamp Recipients and Farmers Markets
Room 140
Andy Fisher, Community Food Security Coalition
Stacy Miller, Farmers Market Coalition
Jan Walters, Iowa Human Services Department
Suzanne Briggs, Farmers Market Coalition
Farmers’ markets can provide underserved communities with an important source of healthy and local products. Yet, many food stamp (SNAP) recipients are unable to use their benefits there because of technological and policy barriers. This workshop will discuss a new national project undertaken by CFSC and Farmers Market Coalition to develop a strategic plan for increasing the usage of SNAP dollars at farmers’ markets. Participants will also hear about the EBT program in Iowa, which is a leading national model in this area.
See Jane Grow: How Women Farmers & Ecopreneurs Can Change Our Food System, Increase Economic Recovery and Transform the World
Room 141
Lisa Kivirist, Rural Women’s Project, Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), and Inn Serendipity Farm
Denise O’Brien, Women, Food & Agriculture Network (WFAN)
Faye Jones, Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES)
Gail Myers, Farms to Grow, Inc.
Rose Hayden-Smith, University of California/IATP Food and Society Policy Fellow
Melinda Hemmelgarn, Food Sleuth, LLC, Food, Health & Agriculture Communications
Hannah Hemmelgarn, Permaculturist, Food/Garden intern, Sandhill Farm
A significant, inspiring transformation is erupting across both rural and urban America: women launching farms and food-based businesses that could lead the sustainable revitalization of our economic and food security. From farmers to local food enterprises, how can these women ecopreneurs positively change both the local communities and the world? Come for dynamic discussion about what’s currently happening, how this movement can be strengthened and build your own inspiring network, idea bank and local movement.
Our Food: From Commodity to Commons
Room 142
Julie Ristau, On the Commons
Ana Micka, On the Commons
Mark Muller, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, Rural Enterprise Center
A growing number of activists are looking to change the “frame” from which the food system is viewed. As the owners of this system, we can hold food as part of a commons. We are obligated to make sure that our food system is operating effectively—that food is fair, green, affordable and healthy. This workshop will explore how a frame of “food as commons” may break through to a larger audience and support the emerging food system work.
Homegrown Minneapolis: The Role of City Government in Building a Local Food System
Room 144
Kristen Klingler, CHES – Minneapolis Department of Health & Family Support
Julie Ristau, On the Commons
Interested in working with local government to address food security issues? Come learn about Homegrown Minneapolis, a city-sponsored initiative to improve the growth, sales, and consumption of healthy, local food. Working with over 100 community stakeholders, we developed recommendations related to farmers’ markets, community gardens, urban agriculture, and the commercial use of local food. We’ll discuss our experiences during this planning process along with key recommendations to illustrate how City government can play a role in improving the local food system.
Food for Rural Folks: Challenges and Opportunities in Rural Food Access
Room 146
Steph Larsen, Center for Rural Affairs
Dorothy Rosemeier, UMN Regional Sustainable Development Partnership
Terry VanDerPol, Land Stewardship Project
David Procter, Kansas State University
Rural communities have increasingly fewer rural grocery stores and decreased access to home and locally produced foods. With growing interest in local and healthy food, the workshop goal is to engage participants in active discussion about solutions to rural food access by identifying barriers and assets, skills, and techniques that encourage home production and thriving food retail. The speakers will share successful models of locally produced and sold food, and policies that can support these models.
‘Grown In Detroit’: A Model Urban Agriculture cooperative
Room 142
Ashley Atkinson, The Greening of Detroit
Nicki Zahm, The Greening of Detroit
During this interactive workshop, participants will learn about Grown In Detroit, a cooperative of more than 45 urban gardeners who sell fruits and vegetables at farmers’ markets and family operated restaurants. From seeding to selling, these gardeners have become small-scale entrepreneurs, generating income while providing Detroit inner-city communities with local, nutritious food. Through an active decision making body, Grown In Detroit members have developed various marketing tools and systems.
Working With Small-Scale Stores to Improve Access to Healthy Foods: What Does it Take?
Room 204
Kai Siedenburg, Community Food Security Coalition (moderator)
Dana Harvey, Mandela Marketplace Inc.
James Berk, Mandela Marketplace Inc.
Yuro Chavez, Mandela Marketplace Inc.
Matt Russell, Case Western Reserve University
Kami Pothukuchi, SEED Wayne
This workshop will highlight effective strategies for bringing fresh produce and other healthy foods into small-scale stores in underserved areas, and for getting people to buy and eat these foods. It will include brief presentations about successes, challenges, and lessons learned from innovative projects in Oakland, Detroit, and Cleveland. There also will be time for Q&A and discussion with the full group, and for discussion of key themes related to implementing corner store projects in small groups.
Workshop Session 3: Monday 2 – 3:30 PM
From Commodity to Communities of Practice Follow-Up Discussion
Room 204
Engage in a discussion with speakers from the preceding plenary, From Commodity to Communities of Practice: The Story of Building Resilient Networks for Food System Change.
Human Rights on the Menu: Justice for Farmworkers!
Room 134
Gerardo Reyes, Coalition of Immokalee Workers
Damara Luce, Just Harvest USA
Join Gerardo, member of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, to learn about his community’s efforts to improve wages, working conditions, and rights for farmworkers. Participants will explore how the CIW’s recent agreements with Whole Foods and Bon Appetit can potentially be a golden opportunity for Florida’s smaller, family-scale farmers to gain access to a market that has traditionally been beyond their reach, and to help elevate Florida’s agricultural industry in the process
Keeping Children Safe from Pesticides in the Red River Valley
Room 136
Linda Kingery, University of Minnesota, Regional Sustainable Development Partnership
Abby Gold, NDSU/ University of Minnesota Extension
Ruth Rasmussen, University of Minnesota, Center for Public Health Education and Outreach
This workshop provides an overview of the strategies these researchers used to reduce exposure to pesticides in the Red River Valley. They will introduce the participatory research method of Photovoice, involving three groups of mothers from diverse communities in the region. Their methods also included community forums around the photo exhibit, a public health training program, and promotion of locally grown foods. The presenters will then lead a discussion about responding to the concerns of the mothers and the collaborations that resulted from the initial research.
Is the U.S. Ready for the Right to Food?
Room 138
Molly Anderson, Food Systems Integrity
Brewster Kneen, Ram’s Horn, Ottowa
Marc Cohen, Oxfam
Is the US ready to join the international community in endorsing the right to food? What would this mean in our country? This workshop will debate the right to food and whether the time is right for people in the US to promote it. The speakers will identify main arguments for and against rights-based approaches to food security in the US, and explore what would be different in our work and anticipated outcomes if we adopted a rights-based approach.
Farm Business Incubation in City Neighborhoods
Room 140
Katherine Kelly, Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture
Rachel Bonar, New Roots for Refugees
Ingrid Kirst, Community Crops
Farm business incubator programs are being developed across the country as a way to support food production in urban and peri-urban communities. Many of us work with refugees and other low-income people who have agricultural experience and a strong commitment to entrepreneurial farming, but who also face significant barriers to establishing independent farm businesses. This workshop will be a facilitated discussion to share information and challenges/opportunities, as well as to set up an informal network of farm business incubation programs.
Farm to School Procurement: Matchmaking 101
Room 142
Kelly Erwin, Mass. Farm to School Project
Abbie Nelson, Vermont FEED
How do you figure out if farm to school procurement is going to be successful for THIS farm or THAT school? Through shared examples and scripted role-playing we will delve into the crucial factors and details of a farm to school purchasing transaction, including farm and distributor sales. We will have a few laughs as we focus on how to “close the deal”. A brief reference guide will be distributed at the end of the session.
Weaving a Web of Systems Change
Room 143
Teresa Wiemerslage, Iowa State University Extension
Ann Mansfield, Luther College
Sue Burrack, Starmont School
Scot Michelson, Department of Natural Resources
Haleisa Johnson, Central Hospital
Eric Nordschow, Producer
Youth from the NE Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative
A diverse group of citizens in Northeast Iowa have created the start of system and policy change in their region’s food system. Participate in a discussion that demonstrates how citizens at the grassroots level joined together around a common vision to improve their food environment. You’ll see how youth are weaving a web of system change in our region’s 23 school districts by linking with our local producers, recreation staff and community leaders.
Mapping Interactions and Discovering Opportunities in Federal Food Programs
Room 144
Michael Haedicke, Iowa Network for Community Agriculture (INCA)
Matt Russell, Iowa Network for Community Agriculture, (INCA)
Kelly Foss, Iowa Network for Community Agriculture, (INCA)
Ryan Marquardt, Iowa Network for Community Agriculture, (INCA)
Gina Lloyd, Iowa Network for Community Agriculture, (INCA)
For 15 years, Iowa Network for Community Agriculture has helped communities develop food systems through our Growing Food and Profit program. In this workshop, INCA’s board of directors will share the success of our asset-based process by mapping federal food programs. Participants will collaborate to diagram these programs and their interactions. Together, we will develop our understanding of food justice and security issues and of opportunities to develop the assets of federal programs.
Can Africa’s Biodiversity and Knowledge be Spared from the Green and Blue Revolutions?
Room 146
Lisa Griffith, National Family Farm Coalition (Moderator)
Eric Holt-Gimenez, Food First
Ben Burkett, National Family Farm Coalition and Mississippi Association of Cooperatives
Josphat Ngonyo, Africa Network for Animal Welfare
Seremos Kamuturaki, Uganda Fisheries and Fish Conservation Association (UFFCA)
The speakers will outline the failures of the ‘Green Revolution’ monoculture in Africa. They will then present the strategies of farmers who promote a sustainable agricultural and rural development model focusing on ecologically and fiscally sound practices that benefit the land and the farmers themselves – not banks and transnational giants like ADM, Cargill and Monsanto. Similarly, the Blue Revolution, led by industrial aquabusiness, has harmed the oceans and the fishing communities that depend on them and the presenters will integrate stories of African fisherfolk about their struggles and successes.
Growing a Social Movement to Change the Food System: Consumers and Activists Working Together
Room 147
Jerusha Klemperer, Slow Food USA
Erika Lesser, Slow Food USA
Dave Murphy, Food Democracy
Marissa Grossman, The Food Project
Join a dialogue on the hows and whys of growing a consumer-driven social movement to change the food system. Slow Food USA and partners will present examples-in-progress of consumer network mobilization across diverse issues. Following a brief presentation, participants will discuss how they can collaborate locally and nationally in pursuing a common campaign or goal. We hope that workshop participants will leave with new ideas on how to increase collaborative engagement between activists and consumers.
Food and Faith: Gleanings from the Big Garden
Room 148
Stephanie Ahlschwede, United Methodist Ministries, Big Garden
Jessica Mews, United Methodist Ministries, Big Garden
Lisa Maupin, United Methodist Ministries, Big Garden
Jayme Fowler, United Methodist Ministries, Big Garden
Join staff and volunteers from the Big Garden, a 30-plus urban and rural community garden system in Southeast Nebraska for a discussion of best practices for partnerships with faith-based groups. Participants will learn how to identify common goals, recruit volunteers, and create sustainable projects with faith communities and learn about national and international resources and policy statements from faith groups related to food and hunger.
Grassroots Organizing: The School Milk Campaign
Room 148
Sarah Alexander, Food & Water Watch
Alex Beauchamp, Food & Water Watch
Stephanie Rynning, Iowa City School Milk Campaign
This hands-on workshop focuses on using grassroots organizing for food campaigns. Participants will work through the basics of grassroots organizing for social change, using the School Milk Campaign national legislative strategy as an example. The presenters will share our campaign story, success, and lessons learned through the lens of grassroots organizing, and share the skills needed for creating an effective grassroots campaign. Skills building will focus on campaign targeting, and refining campaign goals, strategies, and tactics.
Workshop Session 4: Monday 4-5:30 PM
Child Nutrition Reauthorization: Where are We Now?
Room 134
Megan Elsener Lott, Community Food Security Coalition, Policy Coordinator
Martelle Esposito, Community Food Security Coalition
Lynn Fallon, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Kristen Mancinelli, City Harvest, Inc.
Find out where the current 2009 Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization is in the legislative process and what states and local governments and organizations are doing to get involved. Also, are you interested in affecting the outcome? This workshop will give you ideas for how to make an impact on your member’s of Congress.
A Sense of Place
Room 136
Lisa Oliver-King, Our Kitchen Table
Jeff Smith, Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy (GRID)
Yvonne Woodard, Remember When Crafts & Things
Christy Brooks, PhD Graduate Student
Discuss the right to sustainable and just food systems through the example of a transformational community-owned and managed outreach strategy used to address unsustainable and unjust food systems in low-income communities of color.
Transforming Food and Agriculture Policy using a Public Health Lens
Room 138
Rebecca Klein, Johns Hopkins Center for Livable Future, Bloomberg School of Public Health
Anne Palmer, Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future
Susan Roberts, Roberts Law Firm
Fern Gale Estrow, The FGE Food & Nutrition Team
A public health lens can be a powerful tool for addressing food/agriculture policy. This session will briefly define public health, then feature 3 presentations on using a public health lens for food/agriculture policy (city, state, national). The majority of the session will be dedicated to group discussions about how public health and community food security intersect and what they need from/can offer each other. Lessons and strategies discussed will be shared with the larger group.
Meat Workers and Community Residents Organizing for Public, Consumer and Community Health
Room 140
William Kramer, Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility
Poultry worker, Center for New Communities
Hog worker, Nebraska Appleseed
The recent outbreak of swine flu has focused public attention on the public health problem causes by the industrial system of animal agriculture, or Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO’s). Yet swine flu is just the tip of the iceberg. These diseases can infect (and kill) people who live near hog facilities and people who handle tainted meat. But workers who raise animals in factory farms and who work at slaughterhouses are the most at risk. In this workshop you will hear from some workers within the industry about these problems, and what can be done to fix them. You will also hear from a sustainable hog farmer who works with Niman Ranch.
The Challenge of Scale for Urban Fresh Food Initiatives
Room 142
Sunitha Malepati, Living Cities
Ann Karlen, Fair Food Philly
Stephen Arellano, Ruth Mott Foundation
Alfonso Morales, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin, Urban and Regional Planning
Gregg W. Kettles, Deputy Counsel to Mayor Villaraigosa
To date, much of the urban fresh food access initiatives have been micro-projects and are not focused on re-engineering the food system at scale. In this interactive session, discuss how initiatives can be scaled up all over the country by sharing knowledge and best practices around removing barriers to city-wide and regional urban agriculture projects.
Food Secure Communities: Addressing the Root Causes of Hunger through Innovative, Hands-on Education
Room 144
Danielle Pipher, Food Works at Two Rivers Center and Vermont FEED
Abbie Nelson, Vermont FEED
Through its innovative programming, Food Works at Two Rivers Center is connecting underserved communities with fresh, local foods and hands-on nutrition, cooking and gardening education. For over 20 years Food Works has developed programs addressing the root causes of hunger. We’ve learned tools and techniques for empowering people to rise to the challenge of creating sustainable food secure communities. Workshop participants will engage in hands-on cooking, eating and other interactive experiences.
U.S. Policies and International Food Security- From Iowa to Mexico and Beyond: The Corn Connection and its Impact on the Health of our Rural Economy
Room 146
Alexandra Spieldoch, IATP
Mark Muller, IATP
Molly Anderson, IAASTD/CFSC
George Naylor, NFFC
Representative from Via Campesina
U.S. policies have a tremendous impact on food security throughout the world, yet many of the most adverse policies are not well known or understood by the U.S. public. In this workshop, presenters will discuss U.S. impacts on international food security, both positive and negative. Small group discussions will follow, with the end result being a collaborative development of prioritized policy recommendations and a better understanding for the political feasibility of various policy advocacy opportunities.
Food Insecurity: Making it Personal
Room 147
Susan Klein, Iowa State University Extension
Barbara Prather, Northeast Iowa Food Bank
Cathy Simmons, Black Hawk County Food Security Coalition
Lisa Swanson, Black Hawk County Health Department
Al Ricks, Iowa State University Extension
Kimberly Greder, Iowa State University
This interactive workshop coordinated by the Northwest Iowa Food Bank and ISU Extension, will explore community collaboration across the state as organizations strive to educate the public on food insecurity and what tools are used to raise awareness. The group will discuss GIS Mapping, survey work, information on hunger and food insecurity along with a testimonial from a recipient.
Food Banks: Challenges, Realities, “Necessary Evil?”
Room 148
Sharon Thornberry, Oregon Food Bank
Carey L Miller, Food Bank of Iowa
David Weaver, South Plains Food Bank
What do you really know about food banking today? Attend this session to learn how food banking has changed over its history and to understand the current realities and challenges food banks face. We will explore in a group discussion the role food banks are expected to play in our communities and how that role impacts family and community food security. How would families affected by the current economic crisis have faired without the food banking system?
Workshop Session 5: Tuesday, 10:15 – 11:45 AM
Media Bootcamp: Communicating from Commodity to Community
Room 134
Debra Eschmeyer, Occidental College
Eric Davis, Haberman, A Brand Public Relations Firm
Leslie Hatfield, Eat Well and The Green Fork Blog
Sean Sellers, Food & Society Fellow, Coalition of Immokolee Workers
As food advocates in a shifting cultural age, it’s time to put more muscle in our message. How can we as experts garner more coverage? How do we hone our message to ensure our points get across succinctly and effectively? And, what roles do social media play? This mental workout workshop will be in two tracks – traditional and digital, with a full focus group on messaging for the mainstream – offering guidance on creating and using media effectively.
A Fair Share For Labor Follow-Up Discussion
Room 136
Maria Aguiar, Grassroots International
Gerardo Reyes, Coalition of Immokalee Workers
Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, Main Street Project
Engage in a discussion with speakers from the preceding plenary, A Fair Share for Labor in the Food System.
Mapping the Food Environment, Visualizing Change
Room 140
Amanda Behrens, Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future
Anne Palmer, Johns Hopkins University
With the advent of the “buy local” movement and growing interest in how the physical environments of urban and rural settings can affect access to healthy food, there are an increasing number of efforts underway to map food systems. This session will examine one effort taking place in Baltimore, Maryland and engage participants in a mapping exercise that explores the geography of their neighborhood and/or community food projects. Group mapping and discussion will follow.
Making the Economic Case for Farm to School
Room 142
Ken Meter, Crossroads Resource Center
Emily Jackson, Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP)
How do you convince schools with tight budgets to buy from local farms? Economic impact analysis, market analysis, farmer testimony, and solid infrastructure have all helped open doors. A panel of experts will share case studies and engage participants in a roundtable discussion about farm to school as an economic development strategy. Bring your biggest challenge in making the case for local foods — our panel and other participants will help you refine your best strategies.
Farms, Forks, and the Feds: Tying Food Systems to Health Reform and Climate Change
Room 144
Steph Larsen, Center for Rural Affairs
David Wallinga, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Christa Essig, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Health reform and climate change are emerging as the Obama Administration’s top legislative priorities. Both are entwined with food. What we eat directly affects our health, and what foods we produce and how we produce them significantly impact global climate change. Advocates for food security need to be able to navigate the issues, politics and arguments that can be brought from the lexicon of healthy eating and sustainable agriculture into health reform and climate change.
Planning your Community’s Local Food System: The Experience of COMIDA (County of Marshall Investing in and Diversified Agriculture)
Room 146
Linda Barnes, Marshalltown Community College
Norm McCoy, Marshalltown Community College
Claudia M. Prado-Meza, ISU Sustainable Agriculture
Jan Flora, ISU Extension – Sociology
Caithlin Grieshop, Farmer, Marshalltown, IA
Ramona Chaves Lopez, Farmer, Marshalltown, IA
Luke Gran, Farmer FPI Next Generation Coordinator
COMIDA, which means food in Spanish, is an acronym for County Of Marshall Investing in Diversified Agriculture. COMIDA was created as a collaborative effort for building and strengthening the local food system in Marshall County, Iowa. Marshalltown Community College (MCC) has transitioned a 100+-acre farm to organic production. Through its Entrepreneurial and Diversified Agriculture (EDA) program, the college offered a bilingual (Spanish and English) course on vegetable and livestock production, farm planning, and marketing to a group of Latino immigrants and other beginning farmers in Spring 2009. Ten graduates from this training course rented plots to grow vegetables and fruits for sale this season. The coordinator of the program, the farm manager, and farmers will discuss challenges and achievements in the first year, prospects for the future, and dialogue with participants about possible adaptations in other places. One of the tours on Saturday journeyed to Marshalltown to see the farm and meet those working on the project.
Developing Food Sovereignty Policy In Canada
Room 147
Cathleen Kneen, Food Secure Canada
This workshop will explore the process of policy advocacy in Canada and examine ways in which the insights from the Canadian story can be useful in the USA (and vice versa).
Grassroots Organizing: The School Milk Campaign
Room 148
Sarah Alexander, Food & Water Watch
Alex Beauchamp, Food & Water Watch
Stephanie Rynning, Iowa City School Milk Campaign
This hands-on workshop focuses on using grassroots organizing for food campaigns. Participants will work through the basics of grassroots organizing for social change, using the School Milk Campaign national legislative strategy as an example. The presenters will share our campaign story, success, and lessons learned through the lens of grassroots organizing, and share the skills needed for creating an effective grassroots campaign. Skills building will focus on campaign targeting, and refining campaign goals, strategies, and tactics.
