These workshops will be skill-building, educational, and/or informative presentations. They will take place during Breakout Sessions 1, 3, 4, & 6. * Please note that some details may change; we will post changes to this page promptly.
Eric Holt-Gimenez, Food First
Annie Shattuck, Food First
Food First will present our new edited book Breaking Through the Asphalt: Strategies for Transforming the Food System in an interactive workshop with multiple authors. The workshop will discuss key strategies for change from labor, food justice, and food sovereignty leaders around the world and in the United States.
City Government in Brazil Improves Health Outcomes by Opening Restaurant!
Ken Meter, Crossroads Resource Center
Sara Franklin, Independent consultant and writer
The city government in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, halved infant mortality by launching a comprehensive food initiative based on the concept that food is a human right. The city opened a “popular restaurant” that buys food from local farms, and feeds low-income residents healthy local meals at low prices.
Food, Climate, and Policy: Creating Connections
Betsy McCann, International Fellow, New Era Agriculture
Eliav Bitan, Climate Specialist, New Era Agriculture
This informative workshop addresses the relationship between food and climate change through the presentation of pertinent research. Participants will engage in communication-centered activities that aid in interpreting scientific evidence for a variety of audiences.
Credit and Capital for a Just and Sustainable Food System
Lisa Griffith, NFFC
Scott Marlow, Rural Advancement Foundation International – USA
Bob St. Peter, Food for Maine’s Future
Hilde Steffey, Farm Aid
Ben Burkett, Mississippi Association of Cooperatives
Niaz Dorry, Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance
To create jobs and strengthen our food and local economy, farmers, fishers and workers must have fair access to capital, credit and disaster assistance. Session attendees will learn of the barriers food producers face in our financial infrastructure, including farmer access to agricultural land, fisherman’s access to fishing rights and the strategies necessary to redefine this infrastructure.
The Minneapolis Healthy Corner Store Program
Aliyah Ali, Minneapolis Department of Health & Family Support
This session will focus on the evolution of the Minneapolis Healthy Corner Store Program, highlighting experiences with store recruitment, relationship building, needs assessment, and leveraging existing policies (including the Minneapolis Staple Foods Ordinance). By sharing lessons learned throughout planning and implementation, we aim to educate participants about how to increase access to healthy foods in low-income neighborhoods through corner stores.
Beyond Urban Ag: The Real Dirt on Food Policy and Planning in Seattle
Tammy Morales, Urban Food Link
Kara Martin, Martin & Sanders Consulting LLC
Andrea Petzel, City of Seattle Department of Planning & Development
Seattle is considered a leader in the urban agriculture movement, but the city’s efforts to increase the security and sustainability of its local (and regional) food system extend beyond merely growing and selling food. This workshop will identify how local government plays a vital role in the local food system. Presenters will also share the challenges of implementing food policy at the local level.
Environmental Justice and Food Justice: A Rallying Cry!
Michelle Erenberg, Gulf Restoration Network
John Burns
Examining the intersection of Environmental Justice and Food Justice in the Gulf Coast is vital, as a massive oil spill is threatening this entire community. We will discuss the impacts of several sources of pollution on food security in a region that relies on the bayous, marshes, and river for livelihoods as much as food.
Youth are the Roots: Young People as the Foundation of the Food Movement
Christine Hadekel, Cornell Garden-Based Learning
Drew Love, Boston Locavores
Katie Blanchard, Real Food Challenge
Learn from three different grassroots organizations about how young people are playing an effective and vital role in the food movement. Then, through small group discussion, learn how you can successfully partner with youth to accomplish your organization’s goals and to build a more diverse and sustainable food movement.
Child Nutrition Reauthorization: Successes and Implementation
Megan Lott, CFSC
Sheilah Davidson, School Food FOCUS
This panel of national policy experts will highlight wins in the recent Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization legislation, including mandatory funding for Farm to School programs, and explain what is now needed as we shift gears towards implementing these policy wins.
Innovative Solutions to Food Deserts in Urban Areas
Adam Pine, University of Minnesota Duluth
Paulette Flynn, SHARE Wisconsin
Adam Diamond, USDA
The purpose of this workshop is to discuss on-going projects such as food buying clubs and mobile markets that increase food-buying options in urban food deserts. Our goal is to share best practices and develop new strategies that expand access to healthy food in urban communities.
Session 3
Sunday, October 17, 4:15 – 5:45 pm
Emerging Technology and the Threat to a Just Food System
Sarah Alexander, Food & Water Watch
Michael Greger, Humane Society of the United States
Dave Andrews, Food & Water Watch
This panel will discuss emerging technologies in the food system such as animal genetic engineering, cloning, and nanotechnology. These emerging technologies threaten the health of humans, animals, the environment, and a just food system. Small groups will discuss how we can build a sustainable movement against these dangerous technologies.
Confronting Corporate Power in the Food System: ¡Sí Se Puede!
Joel Greeno, National Family Farm Coalition
Karen Washington, Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners
Kathy Ozer, National Family Farm Coalition (Facilitator)
Fishing and labor representatives
There are more than two million farmers and fisherman, 15 million food system workers, and 300 million eaters in the US. Standing between them are a handful of corporations who control how food gets from one side to the other. Learn from people working to change that equation, through organizing, education, and direct action.
Reinventing Food Distribution for Regional Food Systems
Tim Huggins, Red Tomato
Betty MacKenzie, Red Tomato
This session will be a presentation by Red Tomato of basic ‘lessons learned’ in twelve years of wholesale distribution and marketing of local produce, combined with small- and large- group problem –solving, information sharing and brainstorming for anyone actively involved in creating distribution links for local/regional food supply.
Growing the Community: Public Health and the Farm Bill
Becca Klein, John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future
David Wallinga, Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy (IATP)
Megan Lott, Community Food Security Coalition
Roni Neff, John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future
Federal agriculture policy, particularly the Farm Bill, has numerous implications for community food security and public health. This session will explore opportunities and share concrete resources to expand collaboration between public health and community food professionals locally and regionally in order to impact the 2012 Farm Bill.
Participatory Food Assessments: Integrating Diverse Perspectives and Building Local Leadership
Dawn Thilmany McFadden, Colorado State University
Wendy Peters Moschetti, WPM Consulting LLC
Cynthia Torres, Longmont Farmers’ Market
Presenters will share challenges and successes in developing meaningful, participatory food systems assessments that engage universities, non-profits, and governments. This roundtable discussion will use a case study from our experience with developing assessments to explore the principles of participatory research and participatory strategy development among diverse food system stakeholders.
Building Community Food Security through Community Gardens
Mary Lee Fitzsimmons, United Methodist Ministries
Rev. Stephanie Ahlschwede, United Methodist Ministries
Eliza Sutton, Southside Community Land Trust
Erika Rumbley, Southside Community Land Trust
This workshop will explore critical success factors for new community gardens in the rural and urban settings during the planning, implementation and evaluation phases of gardens and then will explore two models for ensuring sustainability in urban settings—establishing both a city wide community garden network and marketing collaboratives.
Food Systems Education and Student-driven Food Reform in New Orleans
Jane Wholley, Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools
Cory Ashby, Our School at Blair Grocery
School gardens are growing like weeds in New Orleans! This workshop will discuss innovative food systems education occurring at Our School at Blair Grocery, the Edible Schoolyard New Orleans and Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools. Participants will share best practices in their own communities and their ideas on how to meaningfully engaging youth in the reform of the food system.
Food & Faith: A Values-Based Approach for Community Food Security
Angela Smith, Baltimore Food & Faith Project
Judith Belasco, Hazon
Pastor Heber Brown III, Pleasant Hope Baptist Church
Jenny Holmes, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
Cassi Johnson, Community Food Advocates
Five faith-based organizations and faith communities representing different traditions will share their work to support local farmers, develop community gardens, and increase healthy food accessibility. Attendees will be asked to share best practices from their own faith-based efforts and participate in structured small group discussions, each led by a panelist.
Tearing Down the Silos: Collaboration & Partnership
Lauren Bierbaum, GNO Afterschool Partnership
Grace Peterson, LSU Ag Center
Ashley Wennerstrom, Tulane School of Medicine
Throughout Louisiana unprecedented collaboration is occurring as a response to the struggle for limited resources. Building collaborative partnerships across sectors is vital for the development of successful community projects. The presenters will explain the components involved in creating workable strategies for building those collaborations and provide examples of successful collaborations throughout Louisiana.
Growing Abundance: Restoring Neighborhood Connections to Healthy Food
Nicole Lightwine, Walnut Way Conservation Corp
Larry Adams, Walnut Way Conservation Corp
Sharon Adams, Walnut Way Conservation Corp
Young Kim, Fondy Food Center
Presentation and small group panel covering the topics of grassroots urban agriculture projects and how communities can transform through connections to growing.
Session 4
Monday, October 18, 10:45 am – 12:15 pm
Building a Global Movement: Discussion with Food Sovereignty Prize Honorees
Cathleen Kneen, Food Secure Canada
Christiana Schiavoni, WhyHunger
2010 Food Sovereignty Prize winners and other leaders in the food sovereignty movement will lead a networking session to increase participants’ understanding of the concepts of food sovereignty and how these elements shape their community food security work which, in turn, revitalizes and strengthens local economies.
Recipe for Change: Healthy Food in Every Community
Linda Shak, Prevention Institute
Mary Lee, PolicyLink
Mary Hendrickson, University of Missouri Extension
Creating healthier food environments requires policies and practices that support healthy food retail, healthier institutions, federal nutrition programs, and sustainable food systems. This interactive session familiarizes participants with policy opportunities, emphasizes the importance of working across sectors, and provides a forum for sharing policy and organizational practice successes and challenges.
Organizing for Workers’ and Immigrants’ Rights in Community Food Systems
Food system workers and organizers will present the problems facing workers throughout our food system and the strategies and solutions that they are employing to overcome them, followed by a discussion with workshop participants about how to link workers’ rights and food security into one movement.
Strengthening Food Business Clusters to Create Community Wealth
Ken Meter, Crossroads Resource Center
Regi Haslett-Marroquin, Rural Enterprise Center
Dan Carmody, Detroit Eastern Market
One of the most effective strategies for strengthening local food economies is to create clusters of food businesses that trade with each other, foster strong social connections, and create greater local interdependency. Learn how two innovative clusters are forming in rural and urban areas.
Blueprints, Maps and Frameworks: Developing State-wide Food Systems Policy Priorities
Wendy Peters Moschetti, WPM Consulting LLC
Susan Roberts, Iowa Food Policy Council
Angie Tagtow, Iowa Food Policy Council
Presenters and participants will discuss tools developed from efforts in Colorado and Iowa to identify widely supported, comprehensive, state-wide policy priorities to strengthen access to healthy foods, and to subsequently build a movement at the local, state, and federal advocacy levels to advance the priorities.
SNAP-UP: Food Stamp Incentive Programs at Farmers’ Markets
Sarah Nelson, Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market
Fernanda de Campos, City Heights Farmers’ Market
Darlene Wolnik, Market Umbrella
Alexis Stevens, Green Market
Gus Schumacher (moderator)
Join farmers’ market operators from around the country to hear about programs that increase SNAP (food stamp) participants’ buying power at the market. A panel discussion followed by small group activities will help participants learn how to start similar programs in their communities.
Whole Measures for Community Food Systems
Jeanette Abi-Nader, CFSC
Deb Habib, Seeds of Solidarity
Mario Yanez, Earth Learning
How do you measure what is really important about your community food systems work? Whole Measures for Community Food Systems (WM CFS) is a project assessment and evaluation tool based on a set of core value-based practices. It uses dialogue and community engagement to explore the impact of our work on creating whole communities. Come learn about this tool, hear innovative evaluation strategies and practice engaging with WM CFS.
The Journey to Local – Creating and Implementing a Sustainability Plan
James Boushka, University Dining Services at UC Davis
Karen Upton, Sodexo Campus Services
Michelle Russell, Colby College Student
What is important in a sustainability plan? Learn how to develop a sustainability program for your food service operation. Summarizing the journey on both these campuses (UC Davis and Colby College), we will discuss the steps taken to assist in funding, build community relationships, partner with local farmers and share our learnings during our journey.
Plate to Politics: How Women Can Lead the Recipe for Change
Lisa Kivirist, Rural Women’s Project MOSES
Liz Johnson, The White House Project
Nevada Littlewolf, The White House Project
What key ingredient can stir up change in our food system? More women in leadership roles that influence agriculture and food policy change. From rallying for school lunch reform to running for office, come learn about tools and strategies to support a diversity of women activists, innovators and educators.
Food Insecurity: Improving Access Among New Orleans Low-Income Communities
Greta Gladney, The Renaissance Project
Pamela Broom, New Orleans Food & Farm Network
David Coffman, Second Harvest of Acadiana
Malcolm Suber, American Friends Service Committee
Lynette Collin, O.C. Haley Main Street and Merchants Association
This interactive presentation of New Orleans-based racial equity, food access and poverty alleviation work of five presenters is intended to provide context for food access in selected neighborhoods in New Orleans where the presenters work. Attendees will map the intersection of race and class with food access in their home cities and provide feedback on our local strategies.
Session 6
Tuesday, October 19, 9:00 – 10:30 am
Foraging for Funding: Is Social Enterprise Right for Your Non-Profit?
Cheryl Kollin, Business Consultant
Bonnie White, Olympic Community Action Programs
Rachel Emmer, The Deitrus Group
In the face of economic downturn, non-profit organizations ask: how else can we generate revenue to support our food security-related mission? Using the World Café format of small group conversation and cross-pollination of insights, participants will generate and evaluate feasible social enterprise ideas. A free guidebook offers step-by-step process for further exploration.
Building Local Power: Communities Take Back their Food Systems!
Dorothy Grady-Scarborough, Mississippians Engaged in Greener Agriculture (MEGA)
Edwin Marty, Jones Valley Urban Farm, Birmingham
Ken Meter, Crossroads Resource Center
Malik Yakini, Detroit Black Community Food Security Network
What are the tools and techniques used to reclaim local food systems? Hear from community leaders who are mapping their community assets, employing local organizing methods, practicing alternative growing techniques, and brokering cooperative markets to harness the powerful social and economic benefits of developing successful local food systems.
Knowing You Make a Difference: Community Food Security Assessment and Evaluation
Vincent Smith, University of Wisconsin Madison
Amanda Behrens, Center for a Livable Future Johns Hopkins University
Evaluating the impact of projects and programs is essential to improvement and long-term support. Join us as we share examples of community food security program assessment and evaluation, explore available tools and resources, and collaborate to outline an appropriate evaluation protocol for your program.
Why Healthy Soils Produce Healthy Food: Soils and Urban Agriculture
Rex Dufour, National Center for Appropriate Technology
Andy Pressman, National Center for Appropriate Technology
This workshop will combine lecture and demonstration. The first part asks participants what makes soils healthy, how healthy soils work, and a demonstration of healthy vs. unhealthy soils. Discussion will then shift to urban soils, possible problems, what they are, how test for them, and how to mitigate problems.
FoodCorps: Planting a Shovel Ready Service Program
Debra Eschmeyer, FoodCorps & National Farm to School Network
Cecily Upton, FoodCorps
FoodCorps is a national AmeriCorps school garden and Farm to School program in development that focuses on improving school food systems in high obesity, limited access rural and urban communities around the country. Service members will build and tend school gardens, conduct nutrition education, and facilitate Farm to School programming that brings local food into schools. Join the discussion around FoodCorps and learn about state models and how you can get involved.
Maple Apple Gumbo: Farm to School Collaboration in Vermont
Danielle Pipher, Vermont FEED/Shelburne Farms
Andrew Powers, PEER Associates, Inc.
Abbie Nelson, Vermont FEED/NOFA-VT
Erica Curry, Vermont FEED/Shelburne Farms
As a decade old Farm to School (FTS) program, Vermont FEED will share our recent adventures in strengthening public/private partnerships and collaborations through building a FTS learning community and evaluation. Interactive small group dialogue will follow the presentation.
Increasing Healthy Food Access through Community and Internet Grocer Partnerships
Mari Gallagher, Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group
John Piercy, Neighbor Capital
James Sims, Peapod
Peapod (an online grocer), Neighbor Capital (a social enterprise), Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group (MG), and local community leaders are helping low-income families and children improve healthy food access and reduce diabetes. We identified the top 100 blocks in Chicago where we would have the biggest impact. Our “Best Fruit of the Season Offering” competes with “happy meals” at the 40% discounted price of $2.99. This session will review key project details and lessons learned, then break into subgroup for facilitated information exchange and reporting back on how community leaders can develop alternatives to traditional retail.
Where’s the Food At? Community Health through Open Green Maps
Lisanne Brown, Louisiana Public Health Institute
Louisiana ranks poorly in myriad indicators of health, many of which are related food security issues. Academic institutions, nonprofits, and citizens are working in innovative ways to address public health challenges and improve community food security. Using Open Green Maps, this workshop will highlight creative practices and partnerships to improve public health and share methods for building the bridge between public health and food access. Participants will gain immediate experience through an interactive session, where sites are uploaded. Audience mapmakers are encouraged to contribute.
Workshops
These workshops will be skill-building, educational, and/or informative presentations. They will take place during Breakout Sessions 1, 3, 4, & 6.
* Please note that some details may change; we will post changes to this page promptly.
Session 1 | Session 3 | Session 4 | Session 6
Session 1
Sunday, October 17 10:45 am – 12:15 pm
Food Movements, Unite!
Eric Holt-Gimenez, Food First
Annie Shattuck, Food First
Food First will present our new edited book Breaking Through the Asphalt: Strategies for Transforming the Food System in an interactive workshop with multiple authors. The workshop will discuss key strategies for change from labor, food justice, and food sovereignty leaders around the world and in the United States.
City Government in Brazil Improves Health Outcomes by Opening Restaurant!
Ken Meter, Crossroads Resource Center
Sara Franklin, Independent consultant and writer
The city government in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, halved infant mortality by launching a comprehensive food initiative based on the concept that food is a human right. The city opened a “popular restaurant” that buys food from local farms, and feeds low-income residents healthy local meals at low prices.
Food, Climate, and Policy: Creating Connections
Betsy McCann, International Fellow, New Era Agriculture
Eliav Bitan, Climate Specialist, New Era Agriculture
This informative workshop addresses the relationship between food and climate change through the presentation of pertinent research. Participants will engage in communication-centered activities that aid in interpreting scientific evidence for a variety of audiences.
Credit and Capital for a Just and Sustainable Food System
Lisa Griffith, NFFC
Scott Marlow, Rural Advancement Foundation International – USA
Bob St. Peter, Food for Maine’s Future
Hilde Steffey, Farm Aid
Ben Burkett, Mississippi Association of Cooperatives
Niaz Dorry, Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance
To create jobs and strengthen our food and local economy, farmers, fishers and workers must have fair access to capital, credit and disaster assistance. Session attendees will learn of the barriers food producers face in our financial infrastructure, including farmer access to agricultural land, fisherman’s access to fishing rights and the strategies necessary to redefine this infrastructure.
The Minneapolis Healthy Corner Store Program
Aliyah Ali, Minneapolis Department of Health & Family Support
This session will focus on the evolution of the Minneapolis Healthy Corner Store Program, highlighting experiences with store recruitment, relationship building, needs assessment, and leveraging existing policies (including the Minneapolis Staple Foods Ordinance). By sharing lessons learned throughout planning and implementation, we aim to educate participants about how to increase access to healthy foods in low-income neighborhoods through corner stores.
Beyond Urban Ag: The Real Dirt on Food Policy and Planning in Seattle
Tammy Morales, Urban Food Link
Kara Martin, Martin & Sanders Consulting LLC
Andrea Petzel, City of Seattle Department of Planning & Development
Seattle is considered a leader in the urban agriculture movement, but the city’s efforts to increase the security and sustainability of its local (and regional) food system extend beyond merely growing and selling food. This workshop will identify how local government plays a vital role in the local food system. Presenters will also share the challenges of implementing food policy at the local level.
Environmental Justice and Food Justice: A Rallying Cry!
Michelle Erenberg, Gulf Restoration Network
John Burns
Examining the intersection of Environmental Justice and Food Justice in the Gulf Coast is vital, as a massive oil spill is threatening this entire community. We will discuss the impacts of several sources of pollution on food security in a region that relies on the bayous, marshes, and river for livelihoods as much as food.
Youth are the Roots: Young People as the Foundation of the Food Movement
Christine Hadekel, Cornell Garden-Based Learning
Drew Love, Boston Locavores
Katie Blanchard, Real Food Challenge
Learn from three different grassroots organizations about how young people are playing an effective and vital role in the food movement. Then, through small group discussion, learn how you can successfully partner with youth to accomplish your organization’s goals and to build a more diverse and sustainable food movement.
Child Nutrition Reauthorization: Successes and Implementation
Megan Lott, CFSC
Sheilah Davidson, School Food FOCUS
This panel of national policy experts will highlight wins in the recent Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization legislation, including mandatory funding for Farm to School programs, and explain what is now needed as we shift gears towards implementing these policy wins.
Innovative Solutions to Food Deserts in Urban Areas
Adam Pine, University of Minnesota Duluth
Paulette Flynn, SHARE Wisconsin
Adam Diamond, USDA
The purpose of this workshop is to discuss on-going projects such as food buying clubs and mobile markets that increase food-buying options in urban food deserts. Our goal is to share best practices and develop new strategies that expand access to healthy food in urban communities.
Session 3
Sunday, October 17, 4:15 – 5:45 pm
Emerging Technology and the Threat to a Just Food System
Sarah Alexander, Food & Water Watch
Michael Greger, Humane Society of the United States
Dave Andrews, Food & Water Watch
This panel will discuss emerging technologies in the food system such as animal genetic engineering, cloning, and nanotechnology. These emerging technologies threaten the health of humans, animals, the environment, and a just food system. Small groups will discuss how we can build a sustainable movement against these dangerous technologies.
Confronting Corporate Power in the Food System: ¡Sí Se Puede!
Joel Greeno, National Family Farm Coalition
Karen Washington, Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners
Kathy Ozer, National Family Farm Coalition (Facilitator)
Fishing and labor representatives
There are more than two million farmers and fisherman, 15 million food system workers, and 300 million eaters in the US. Standing between them are a handful of corporations who control how food gets from one side to the other. Learn from people working to change that equation, through organizing, education, and direct action.
Reinventing Food Distribution for Regional Food Systems
Tim Huggins, Red Tomato
Betty MacKenzie, Red Tomato
This session will be a presentation by Red Tomato of basic ‘lessons learned’ in twelve years of wholesale distribution and marketing of local produce, combined with small- and large- group problem –solving, information sharing and brainstorming for anyone actively involved in creating distribution links for local/regional food supply.
Growing the Community: Public Health and the Farm Bill
Becca Klein, John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future
David Wallinga, Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy (IATP)
Megan Lott, Community Food Security Coalition
Roni Neff, John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future
Federal agriculture policy, particularly the Farm Bill, has numerous implications for community food security and public health. This session will explore opportunities and share concrete resources to expand collaboration between public health and community food professionals locally and regionally in order to impact the 2012 Farm Bill.
Participatory Food Assessments: Integrating Diverse Perspectives and Building Local Leadership
Dawn Thilmany McFadden, Colorado State University
Wendy Peters Moschetti, WPM Consulting LLC
Cynthia Torres, Longmont Farmers’ Market
Presenters will share challenges and successes in developing meaningful, participatory food systems assessments that engage universities, non-profits, and governments. This roundtable discussion will use a case study from our experience with developing assessments to explore the principles of participatory research and participatory strategy development among diverse food system stakeholders.
Building Community Food Security through Community Gardens
Mary Lee Fitzsimmons, United Methodist Ministries
Rev. Stephanie Ahlschwede, United Methodist Ministries
Eliza Sutton, Southside Community Land Trust
Erika Rumbley, Southside Community Land Trust
This workshop will explore critical success factors for new community gardens in the rural and urban settings during the planning, implementation and evaluation phases of gardens and then will explore two models for ensuring sustainability in urban settings—establishing both a city wide community garden network and marketing collaboratives.
Food Systems Education and Student-driven Food Reform in New Orleans
Jane Wholley, Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools
Cory Ashby, Our School at Blair Grocery
School gardens are growing like weeds in New Orleans! This workshop will discuss innovative food systems education occurring at Our School at Blair Grocery, the Edible Schoolyard New Orleans and Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools. Participants will share best practices in their own communities and their ideas on how to meaningfully engaging youth in the reform of the food system.
Food & Faith: A Values-Based Approach for Community Food Security
Angela Smith, Baltimore Food & Faith Project
Judith Belasco, Hazon
Pastor Heber Brown III, Pleasant Hope Baptist Church
Jenny Holmes, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
Cassi Johnson, Community Food Advocates
Five faith-based organizations and faith communities representing different traditions will share their work to support local farmers, develop community gardens, and increase healthy food accessibility. Attendees will be asked to share best practices from their own faith-based efforts and participate in structured small group discussions, each led by a panelist.
Tearing Down the Silos: Collaboration & Partnership
Lauren Bierbaum, GNO Afterschool Partnership
Grace Peterson, LSU Ag Center
Ashley Wennerstrom, Tulane School of Medicine
Throughout Louisiana unprecedented collaboration is occurring as a response to the struggle for limited resources. Building collaborative partnerships across sectors is vital for the development of successful community projects. The presenters will explain the components involved in creating workable strategies for building those collaborations and provide examples of successful collaborations throughout Louisiana.
Growing Abundance: Restoring Neighborhood Connections to Healthy Food
Nicole Lightwine, Walnut Way Conservation Corp
Larry Adams, Walnut Way Conservation Corp
Sharon Adams, Walnut Way Conservation Corp
Young Kim, Fondy Food Center
Presentation and small group panel covering the topics of grassroots urban agriculture projects and how communities can transform through connections to growing.
Session 4
Monday, October 18, 10:45 am – 12:15 pm
Building a Global Movement: Discussion with Food Sovereignty Prize Honorees
Cathleen Kneen, Food Secure Canada
Christiana Schiavoni, WhyHunger
2010 Food Sovereignty Prize winners and other leaders in the food sovereignty movement will lead a networking session to increase participants’ understanding of the concepts of food sovereignty and how these elements shape their community food security work which, in turn, revitalizes and strengthens local economies.
Recipe for Change: Healthy Food in Every Community
Linda Shak, Prevention Institute
Mary Lee, PolicyLink
Mary Hendrickson, University of Missouri Extension
Creating healthier food environments requires policies and practices that support healthy food retail, healthier institutions, federal nutrition programs, and sustainable food systems. This interactive session familiarizes participants with policy opportunities, emphasizes the importance of working across sectors, and provides a forum for sharing policy and organizational practice successes and challenges.
Organizing for Workers’ and Immigrants’ Rights in Community Food Systems
Joann Lo, Food Chain Workers Alliance
Darrin Browder, Restaurant Opportunities Center-New Orleans
Van Joseph, ROC-NOLA
Food system workers and organizers will present the problems facing workers throughout our food system and the strategies and solutions that they are employing to overcome them, followed by a discussion with workshop participants about how to link workers’ rights and food security into one movement.
Strengthening Food Business Clusters to Create Community Wealth
Ken Meter, Crossroads Resource Center
Regi Haslett-Marroquin, Rural Enterprise Center
Dan Carmody, Detroit Eastern Market
One of the most effective strategies for strengthening local food economies is to create clusters of food businesses that trade with each other, foster strong social connections, and create greater local interdependency. Learn how two innovative clusters are forming in rural and urban areas.
Blueprints, Maps and Frameworks: Developing State-wide Food Systems Policy Priorities
Wendy Peters Moschetti, WPM Consulting LLC
Susan Roberts, Iowa Food Policy Council
Angie Tagtow, Iowa Food Policy Council
Presenters and participants will discuss tools developed from efforts in Colorado and Iowa to identify widely supported, comprehensive, state-wide policy priorities to strengthen access to healthy foods, and to subsequently build a movement at the local, state, and federal advocacy levels to advance the priorities.
SNAP-UP: Food Stamp Incentive Programs at Farmers’ Markets
Sarah Nelson, Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market
Fernanda de Campos, City Heights Farmers’ Market
Darlene Wolnik, Market Umbrella
Alexis Stevens, Green Market
Gus Schumacher (moderator)
Join farmers’ market operators from around the country to hear about programs that increase SNAP (food stamp) participants’ buying power at the market. A panel discussion followed by small group activities will help participants learn how to start similar programs in their communities.
Whole Measures for Community Food Systems
Jeanette Abi-Nader, CFSC
Deb Habib, Seeds of Solidarity
Mario Yanez, Earth Learning
How do you measure what is really important about your community food systems work? Whole Measures for Community Food Systems (WM CFS) is a project assessment and evaluation tool based on a set of core value-based practices. It uses dialogue and community engagement to explore the impact of our work on creating whole communities. Come learn about this tool, hear innovative evaluation strategies and practice engaging with WM CFS.
The Journey to Local – Creating and Implementing a Sustainability Plan
James Boushka, University Dining Services at UC Davis
Karen Upton, Sodexo Campus Services
Michelle Russell, Colby College Student
What is important in a sustainability plan? Learn how to develop a sustainability program for your food service operation. Summarizing the journey on both these campuses (UC Davis and Colby College), we will discuss the steps taken to assist in funding, build community relationships, partner with local farmers and share our learnings during our journey.
Plate to Politics: How Women Can Lead the Recipe for Change
Lisa Kivirist, Rural Women’s Project MOSES
Liz Johnson, The White House Project
Nevada Littlewolf, The White House Project
What key ingredient can stir up change in our food system? More women in leadership roles that influence agriculture and food policy change. From rallying for school lunch reform to running for office, come learn about tools and strategies to support a diversity of women activists, innovators and educators.
Food Insecurity: Improving Access Among New Orleans Low-Income Communities
Greta Gladney, The Renaissance Project
Pamela Broom, New Orleans Food & Farm Network
David Coffman, Second Harvest of Acadiana
Malcolm Suber, American Friends Service Committee
Lynette Collin, O.C. Haley Main Street and Merchants Association
This interactive presentation of New Orleans-based racial equity, food access and poverty alleviation work of five presenters is intended to provide context for food access in selected neighborhoods in New Orleans where the presenters work. Attendees will map the intersection of race and class with food access in their home cities and provide feedback on our local strategies.
Session 6
Tuesday, October 19, 9:00 – 10:30 am
Foraging for Funding: Is Social Enterprise Right for Your Non-Profit?
Cheryl Kollin, Business Consultant
Bonnie White, Olympic Community Action Programs
Rachel Emmer, The Deitrus Group
In the face of economic downturn, non-profit organizations ask: how else can we generate revenue to support our food security-related mission? Using the World Café format of small group conversation and cross-pollination of insights, participants will generate and evaluate feasible social enterprise ideas. A free guidebook offers step-by-step process for further exploration.
Building Local Power: Communities Take Back their Food Systems!
Dorothy Grady-Scarborough, Mississippians Engaged in Greener Agriculture (MEGA)
Edwin Marty, Jones Valley Urban Farm, Birmingham
Ken Meter, Crossroads Resource Center
Malik Yakini, Detroit Black Community Food Security Network
What are the tools and techniques used to reclaim local food systems? Hear from community leaders who are mapping their community assets, employing local organizing methods, practicing alternative growing techniques, and brokering cooperative markets to harness the powerful social and economic benefits of developing successful local food systems.
Knowing You Make a Difference: Community Food Security Assessment and Evaluation
Vincent Smith, University of Wisconsin Madison
Amanda Behrens, Center for a Livable Future Johns Hopkins University
Evaluating the impact of projects and programs is essential to improvement and long-term support. Join us as we share examples of community food security program assessment and evaluation, explore available tools and resources, and collaborate to outline an appropriate evaluation protocol for your program.
Why Healthy Soils Produce Healthy Food: Soils and Urban Agriculture
Rex Dufour, National Center for Appropriate Technology
Andy Pressman, National Center for Appropriate Technology
This workshop will combine lecture and demonstration. The first part asks participants what makes soils healthy, how healthy soils work, and a demonstration of healthy vs. unhealthy soils. Discussion will then shift to urban soils, possible problems, what they are, how test for them, and how to mitigate problems.
FoodCorps: Planting a Shovel Ready Service Program
Debra Eschmeyer, FoodCorps & National Farm to School Network
Cecily Upton, FoodCorps
FoodCorps is a national AmeriCorps school garden and Farm to School program in development that focuses on improving school food systems in high obesity, limited access rural and urban communities around the country. Service members will build and tend school gardens, conduct nutrition education, and facilitate Farm to School programming that brings local food into schools. Join the discussion around FoodCorps and learn about state models and how you can get involved.
Maple Apple Gumbo: Farm to School Collaboration in Vermont
Danielle Pipher, Vermont FEED/Shelburne Farms
Andrew Powers, PEER Associates, Inc.
Abbie Nelson, Vermont FEED/NOFA-VT
Erica Curry, Vermont FEED/Shelburne Farms
As a decade old Farm to School (FTS) program, Vermont FEED will share our recent adventures in strengthening public/private partnerships and collaborations through building a FTS learning community and evaluation. Interactive small group dialogue will follow the presentation.
Increasing Healthy Food Access through Community and Internet Grocer Partnerships
Mari Gallagher, Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group
John Piercy, Neighbor Capital
James Sims, Peapod
Peapod (an online grocer), Neighbor Capital (a social enterprise), Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group (MG), and local community leaders are helping low-income families and children improve healthy food access and reduce diabetes. We identified the top 100 blocks in Chicago where we would have the biggest impact. Our “Best Fruit of the Season Offering” competes with “happy meals” at the 40% discounted price of $2.99. This session will review key project details and lessons learned, then break into subgroup for facilitated information exchange and reporting back on how community leaders can develop alternatives to traditional retail.
Where’s the Food At? Community Health through Open Green Maps
Lisanne Brown, Louisiana Public Health Institute
Louisiana ranks poorly in myriad indicators of health, many of which are related food security issues. Academic institutions, nonprofits, and citizens are working in innovative ways to address public health challenges and improve community food security. Using Open Green Maps, this workshop will highlight creative practices and partnerships to improve public health and share methods for building the bridge between public health and food access. Participants will gain immediate experience through an interactive session, where sites are uploaded. Audience mapmakers are encouraged to contribute.