SUSTAINABLE & EQUITABLE

FOOD SYSTEMS: A CASE

STUDY IN MINNEAPOLIS

Presenters: Julie Ristau, Gayle Prest, Kristine Igo

The Food & Nutrition System

Political Systems

Natural Resources Image: www.sfgov.org

“The food and nutrition system is the set of

operations and processes involved in

transforming raw materials into foods

and transforming nutrients into health

outcomes, all of which functions as a

system within biophysical and

sociocultural contexts.”

What is a

Food System?

Social & Cultural Systems

Economic Systems

“A Conceptual Model of the Food & Nutrition System,” Social Science & Medicine, vol 7, Sobol et al, 1998

OXFAM Report, January 2014

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/good-enough-to-eat

FOOD REPORT CARD – USA

“The food and nutrition system is the set of operations

and processes involved in transforming raw materials

into foods and transforming nutrients into health

outcomes, all of which functions as a system within

biophysical and sociocultural contexts.”

• Transforming raw materials into foods : A+

• Transforming nutrients into health outcomes :

• A for quality

• F for equal access

• Impact on biophysical environments : ?

• Equity within sociocultural environments : F

Performance Dimensions

“Charting Growth:

Sustainable Food Indicators,”

Wallace Center, 2009

Healthy

Green

Affordable

Fair

“Principles of a healthy,

sustainable food system,”

Joint Policy Statement:

ADA, ANA, APA, APHA, 2010

Health promoting

Sustainable

Resilient

Diverse

Fair

Economically balanced

Transparent

Policy Councils Focus Areas

Access and equity

Economic development

Food Education

Local & regional food

Mobile vending

Nutrition and public health

Policy advocacy

“City Food Policy Programs: Lessons Learned from an Emerging Field,” City of Portland, 2012, Molly Hatfield

Urban agriculture

Waste management

Environmental Sustainability

A Model from Minnesota: Values based

Organizing for an equitable food system

Julie Ristau will present on “City & Community in

Partnership”

Policy approaches to ensure a sustainable, healthy

and economically robust local food system

Gayle Prest will present on “Sustainable Minneapolis:

Our Approach”

Funding strategies to promote values based

collective action

Kris Igo will present on “Collaborating to enhance local

food efforts”

THE UNIVERSITY:

COLLABORATING TO

ENHANCE LOCAL FOOD

EFFORTS

Kristine Igo, MPP - Associate Director Healthy Foods, Healthy Lives Institute, Univ. of MN

Outline

Healthy food for everyone: equitable access

HFHL – History and description of grant program

Collective Impact Model

Funder Collaboratives

Healthy Food Funders Network

Northside Funders Group

State Food Charters Statewide coordination

Health Equity in Minnesota

“Advancing Health Equity in Minnesota: Report to

the Legislature,” MDH, February 1, 2014.

History of HFHL

2003-Presidential Initiative

2007-Institute formed

University-wide Institute with 5 affiliated colleges

School of Public Health, CFANS, Veterinary Medicine,

Medical School & Extension

Funded by U of M central administration; offices of

Sr. VPs Robert Jones and Frank Cerra; and CFANS

25-member U of M faculty Advisory Board

Mission and Vision

To increase and sustain the U of M impact in the

interdisciplinary arena of food, agriculture and

health by building the U of M’s capacity in

research, learning and community engagement

To advance scientific and public knowledge and

influence public policy in the area of food and health

The Food System

Political Systems

Natural Resources Image: www.sfgov.org

“The food and nutrition system is the set of

operations and processes involved in

transforming raw materials into foods

and transforming nutrients into health

outcomes, all of which functions as a

system within biophysical and

sociocultural contexts.”

What is a

Food System?

Social & Cultural Systems

Economic Systems

“A Conceptual Model of the Food & Nutrition System,” Social Science & Medicine, vol 7, Sobol et al, 1998

Uniting Researchers and the Community to Find

Innovative Solutions around Food and Health

Political Systems

Natural Resources

Image: www.sfgov.org

Social & Cultural Systems

Economic Systems

City & Regional Planning

Public Health

Public Policy & Political Science

Environmental Sciences Plant & Soil Sciences

Applied & Agricultural

Economics

Geography

Nutrition & Community

Health

Anthropology

Social Services

Business & Marketing

Law & Labor Relations

Medicine

Grant Program

In total, since 2007, HFHL has awarded over $3.5M in

grant funding to 51 teams representing over 20

units through four grant programs

Our Focus Areas

• Food Policy

• Food Safety

• Prevention of diet-related chronic disease

Interdisciplinary Research Grants

1. “The Effects of Federal Food Assistance

Programs on Food Insecurity and the Healthy

Development of Young Children”

2. “Exploring playful, creative design as a means

of increasing children’s vegetable consumption

3. “State level Food Systems Indicators”

4. “Microbial Ecology, Control and Consumer

Perception of Food-borne Pathogens

Associated with Fresh Vegetables”

“Both academic and community knowledge systems

should be honored in these partnerships.”

Community Partnership Grants

Dual Goals Disciplinary knowledge &

community/social improvement

Dual Research Questions Disciplinary theoretical/empirical work &

community led inquiry

Dual Measures of Value Academic knowledge gained &

utility in social change

“Proposals should seek to transform communities by

producing information that will enable a community to

improve its overall health.”

Community Partnership Grants

Community design

Spiritual and cultural dimensions

Define health in own terms

Little Earth of United Tribes

“…improve the health of young

children through a program that

combines education and access to

healthy food options, traditional

foods and food production

opportunities. …by develop(ing)

community based strategies … in a

manner that is culturally

appropriate, sustainable and

meaningful to the community. “

Food Justice and Youth Empowerment Project

Community Partnership Grants

HEALTH + ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

1. “Defining the Agricultural Landscape of the Western

Lake Superior Region: Realities and potentials for a

healthy local food system for healthy people”

2. “Good Heart Grocery and Eat Right Deli Community

Assessment & Strategic Plan”

3. “Evaluating Food Safety and Health Impacts of an

Alternative Poultry Production Model”

4. “Integrated Fish, Plant and Algal Production System

– growing vertical”

Farmers Legal Action Group, AAHWM

“…this next step, will draw on a year’s worth of

experience and relationship-building to move farmers

closer to Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)—and,

prepare one of the region’s first

Hmong American farmers for

GAP certification —through a

training program that will

institutionalize safe food handling

and recordkeeping practices for

Hmong American farmers”

Advancing Safe Food Handling Practices for

Immigrant Farmers

Creating Collective Impact

The problem is isolated impact…

“Most funders, faced with the task of choosing a few grantees from many applicants, try to ascertain which organizations make the greatest contribution toward solving a social problem. Grantees, in turn, compete to be chosen by emphasizing how their individual activities produce the greatest effect. Each organization is judged on its own potential to achieve impact, independent of the numerous other organizations that may also influence the issue.

In short, the nonprofit sector most frequently operates using an approach that we call isolated impact.”

Collective Impact, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Winter 2011, John Kania & Mark Kramer

Collective Impact Model

“Large-scale social change requires broad cross-

sector coordination, not the isolated intervention of

individual organizations.”

Collective Impact, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Winter 2011, John Kania & Mark Kramer

“collective impact initiatives involve … a structured

process that leads to a common agenda, shared

measurement, continuous communication, and mutually

reinforcing activities among all participants.“

“the commitment of a group of important actors from

different sectors to a common agenda for solving a

specific social problem.”

Collective Impact Funder Collaboratives

Information sharing

Opportunities to leverage and maximize resources

Mutually developed structure and guidelines for

operation

Attention to systemic solutions

“Funder Collaboratives: Why and How Funders Work Together,” Grantcraft, 2011

3 MAIN FUNCTIONS

√ Joint Learning √ Strategic Alignment

√ Pooled Funds

Healthy Food Funders Network: 2011

√ Joint Learning

Increase access to healthy, affordable, fresh food in

“food deserts”

Strengthen community “food web”

Expand the number of schools serving locally grown

foods, and in other institutional settings as well

Create a regional distribution infrastructure to

improve efficiency and profitability

Increase access to farm land for new farmers

“Funding the Growth of the Good Food Movement,” UMN OPE and BCBS, 2008 & July 2011 (update), Maggi Adamek

Healthy Food Funders Network: 2014

√ Strategic Alignment

Priority #1: HEALTHY FOOD ACCESS – Create

food access to enhance wellness and health equity

Priority #2: LAND ACCESS/LAND STEWARDSHIP –

Increase and sustain land access and land steward-

ship in rural regions and urban communities,

including preservation of farmland and wild areas

used for food gathering and harvesting

Healthy Food Funders Network: 2014

√ Strategic Alignment

Priority #3: LOCAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP – Grow

sustainable local and regional food systems that

encourage and support innovation and related

profitable enterprises

Priority #4: OPERATIONS – Build and maintain the

Healthy Food Funders Network

Northside Funders Group

Our Vision: As a collective of private, public, and

corporate funders, we align our investments to

catalyze comprehensive, sustainable change in North

Minneapolis

FOCUS AREAS

√ Academic Success √ Thriving Businesses

√ Growing Income & Assets

√ Wellness/Health Equity √ Building Social Capital

http://www.mcknight.org/system/asset/document/368/NGF_2013.pdf

CDC funding received by MDH to develop a regional

food network and state food charter

Community input phase, Feb – October 2013

150 community events, over 2000 participants

400 online surveys

50 targeted listening sessions and interviews

Identified 6 priority areas: Access, Affordability,

Availability, Skills, Infrastructure, Cultural/social issues

Online interactive feedback period (Nov ’13- Jan ‘14)

Drafting & revisions, release October 2014

Purpose

Inform planning and decision-making across

the state

Promote stronger networks and increases

collaboration

Take on health-related impacts

Involve the community

Questions?

Online Resources

www.minneapolismn.gov/sustainability/homegrown

www.hfhl.umn.edu

www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/good-enough-to-eat

www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/collective_impact

www.mcknight.org/newsroom/impactstories/northside

-funders-group

www.mnfoodcharter.com

www.mindmixer.com