Around the world, communities are gathering to develop action plans for their food systems. Food policy councils, like ours in Dane County, develop action plans to guide community leaders and elected officials in decision-making for equitable, just food systems. A huge community effort, supported with a federal grant, just announced the completion of Dane County’s first Food Systems Action Plan. Learn more about Dane County’s food systems and actions we can take at https://dane.extension.wisc.edu/dcfsap/.
The report details seven goals and summarizes strategies to attain them:
- collaboration
- production
- access
- infrastructure
- efficiency
- resilience
- prosperity
Although this is the only known example of a contemporary food systems plan in Wisconsin, an early attempt was made in 1982 through Rodale’s Cornucopia Project. Today, nearly 60% of U.S. states (about 30 states) have an active, comprehensive food system plan or charter. Two multi-state regions collaborated to develop regional food systems plans. Dane County now joins the ranks of one of over 300 local, county, and tribal Food Policy Councils that are enacting community-specific plans across the country. For more about the food systems action plan movement in the US, see “Participatory state and regional food system plans and charters in the U.S.: A summary of trends and national directory” released in 2021.
Wisconsin Food Systems, Inc. 