| Jurisdiction Name: | Philadelphia |
| State/Province: | PA |
| Country: | United States |
| Type of Government: | Municipality |
| Population: | 1576000 |
| Population Range: | 1 million or more |
| Policy Links: | Web |
| Policy type: | plan |
| Year: | 2023 |
| GFC Topic: | community food connections, community food production, community food security |
| Keywords: | Philadelphia, community, community garden, disparities, food access, food security, food systems, growers, indigenous, land, plan, racial equity, urban agriculture, urban farming |
| Adopting Government Department(s): | n/a |
| Lead Implementing Entity(s): | Philadelphia Parks and Recreation |
| Support Entity(s): | n/a |
| Funding Amount: | n/a |
| Funding Sources: | William Penn Foundation; The Funders Network; Merck Family Fund; Marc and Laura McKenna |
| Policy Outcome(s): | The city of Philadelphia published a plan that outlines a ten-year framework to guide policy that would strengthen urban agriculture and food justice in Philadelphia, with a particular focus on racial equity and land access. The planning team reconceptualized the food system to include land, production, processing and distribution, consumption, waste reduction, and people, and offers policy recommendations for each of these categories. |
| Additional Resources and Information: | Link 1 |
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Chittenden County Environment, Community, Opportunity, Sustainability (ECOS) Plan, Chittenden County, Vermont
| Jurisdiction Name: | Chittenden |
| State/Province: | VT |
| Country: | United States |
| Type of Government: | County |
| Population: | 156,545 |
| Population Range: | 50,000 to 249,999 |
| Policy Links: | Web – PDF |
| Policy type: | plan |
| Year: | 2018 |
| GFC Topic: | community food connections, community food production, community food security |
| Keywords: | agricultural land protection, environment, healthy food access, local food system, plan, urban agriculture |
| Adopting Government Department(s): | Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission; Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation |
| Lead Implementing Entity(s): | Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission |
| Support Entity(s): | Community stakeholders |
| Funding Amount: | $1,000,000 grant (grant received in 2013) |
| Funding Sources: | Leveraged 2013 funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Sustainable Communities Project (with co-sponsorship from the EPA and U.S. DOT) for previous ECOS Plan |
| Policy Outcome(s): | The 2018 Chittenden ECOS Plan, while targetting issues of the environment, equity, and sustainability, uses sub-strategies and actions to get at these larger scale challenges and opportunities. The 2018 Plan is an updated version of a 2013 ECOS plan which was created after 2 years of planning (2011-2013). One goal of the 2018 Plan was to strive for 80% of new development in areas planned for growth, which amounts to 15% of Chittenden County’s land area, by “increasing investment in and decrease subdivision of working lands and significant habitiats, and support local food systems.” Supporting the local system consists of action steps such as protecting farmland and forestland while supporting exisiting and new initiatives such as surban and suburban home gardens and mini-homesteads, suppporting the establishment of food processing industries, value-added product markets, workforce training, etc., supporting implementation of the state-wide Farm to Plate Strategic Plan while balancing goals for a strong local food system. Another sub-category of the ECOS plan that pertains more towards health equity, “increase opportunity for every person in our community to achieve optimal health and personal safety,” discusses healthy community design by addressing food availability, especially heatlhy food access as a driver of individual and community wellbeing. |
| Additional Resources and Information: | Link 1 |
Food Policy Council and Director Establishment Act, Washington, D.C.
| Jurisdiction Name: | District of Columbia |
| State/Province: | D.C. |
| Country: | United States |
| Type of Government: | Municipality |
| Population: | 601,723 |
| Population Range: | 250,000 to 999,999 |
| Policy Links: | Web – PDF |
| Policy type: | act |
| Year: | 2014 |
| GFC Topic: | community food connections, community food production, community food security |
| Keywords: | equitable, food policy, food policy advisor position, food policy council, food security, local food economy, staff position |
| Adopting Government Department(s): | District of Columbia Council |
| Lead Implementing Entity(s): | Executive Office of the Mayor, D.C. Office of Planning |
| Support Entity(s): | n/a |
| Funding Amount: | Proposed $109,000 in FY2015, $462,000 over the four year financial period; $110,000 for a Food Policy Director in 2016 |
| Funding Sources: | The Council of the District of Columbia; FPD: Office of Planning's Local funds budget |
| Policy Outcome(s): | D.C. Act 20-483, or the “Food Policy Council and Director Establishment Act of 2014” was passed to create a Food Policy Council, made up of stakeholders and government representatives, to identify regulatory challenges in the local food economy, collect and examine data on the food economy and equity, promote food policies, guide organizations in the food sector, and establish a Food Policy Director in the Office of Planning who would have their own set of responsibilities–promoting food policy in the District, attracting new participants to the local food economy, assisting an individual already participating in the local food economy, and achieving the food goals identified in the Sustainable DC Plan. Since the act’s passage, the DC Food Policy council has been established (2015) and engaged in the city food system, conducting studies, development strategies, and assessments. Additionally, the Mayor began appointing the Food Policy Director in 2015 to the Office of Planning. |
| Additional Resources and Information: | Link 1 |
Baltimore Food Waste and Recovery Strategy, Baltimore, Maryland
| Jurisdiction Name: | Baltimore |
| State/Province: | MD |
| Country: | United States |
| Type of Government: | Municipality |
| Population: | 611,648 |
| Population Range: | 250,000 to 999,999 |
| Policy Links: | Web – PDF |
| Policy type: | Strategy |
| Year: | 2018 |
| GFC Topic: | community food connections |
| Keywords: | city, city agency food standards, community, compost, composting, environment, environmental projects, food composting, food recovery, food waste, food waste reduction, recovery, school, sustainability, waste, youth |
| Adopting Government Department(s): | Baltimore Sustainability Commission |
| Lead Implementing Entity(s): | Baltimore Office of Sustainability |
| Support Entity(s): | Institute for Local Self-Reliance, community and grassroot organizations and various city agencies (i.e. public works, public health, business development and city school) |
| Funding Amount: | n/a |
| Funding Sources: | n/a |
| Policy Outcome(s): | This strategy was first conceptualized in the Baltimore City Planning’s Office of Sustainability (BOS) Waste To Wealth Iniative and subsequent Waste to Wealth Report (2014), which recommended creating a city-wide food waste management strategy. Following this recommendation, from 2016-2018 BOS partnered with the Institute of Local Self-Reliance and over 75 stakeholders (divided into four working groups: (1) Food Waste Reduction & Recovery; (2) Compositing at Home & In The Community; (3) Food Waste Management in K-12 Schools; and (4) Creating Scalable Composting Infrastructure) across a range of sectors to produce initial recommendations for a food waste strategy. The Baltimore Food Waste and Recovery Strategy contains rationale for food recovery, local case studies of academic institutions, community-based organizations, and farms participating in food waste reduction and recovery programs, defines potential solutions, and sets ten major goals. These goals are classified by the aforementioned working group categories, and include reducing/eliminating food waste in higher education institutions, government agencies, K-12 schools, and residences, and creating composting/and or anaerobic digestion facilities in the Baltimore Region capable of processing all of Baltimore City’s organic waste. Each goal contains short-term strategies (1-5 years), mid-term strategies (5-10 years), and long-term strategies (10-20 years). |
| Additional Resources and Information: | Link 1 |
Denver Healthy Corner Store Initiative, Denver, Colorado
| Jurisdiction Name: | Denver |
| State/Province: | CO |
| Country: | United States |
| Type of Government: | Municipality/County |
| Population: | 600,158 |
| Population Range: | 250,000 to 999,999 |
| Policy Links: | Web |
| Policy type: | project |
| Year: | 2014 |
| GFC Topic: | community food security |
| Keywords: | community health, corner store, food access, fresh produce, health, healthy corner store program, healthy food access, healthy food retail, partnership |
| Adopting Government Department(s): | City and County of Denver |
| Lead Implementing Entity(s): | Department of Public Health and Environment |
| Support Entity(s): | Denver Food Access Task Force |
| Funding Amount: | $327,000 |
| Funding Sources: | Colorado Health Foundation |
| Policy Outcome(s): | As part of a larger effort to address food insecurity under the Denver Food Access Task Force, the Denver Healthy Corner Store Initiative aims to help corner store owners procure, market, handle, and price healthy foods for Denver residents. From 2014 to 2019, the initiative has expanded from 6 to 23 stores, and currently includes 39 additional community partners who make it easier for families to find healthy food options such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The program hopes to expand to up to 50 stores across the city of Denver. |
| Additional Resources and Information: | Link 1 |
Ordinance Governing Food Producing Animals, Denver, Colorado
| Jurisdiction Name: | Denver |
| State/Province: | CO |
| Country: | United States |
| Type of Government: | Municipality/County |
| Population: | 600,158 |
| Population Range: | 250,000 to 999,999 |
| Policy Links: | Web – PDF |
| Policy type: | ordinance |
| Year: | 2011 |
| GFC Topic: | community food connections, community food production, community food security |
| Keywords: | animal permit, animals, chickens, ducks, goats, keeping of animals, ordinance |
| Adopting Government Department(s): | City and County of Denver |
| Lead Implementing Entity(s): | Board of Environmental Healthy of the City and County of Denver |
| Support Entity(s): | n/a |
| Funding Amount: | n/a |
| Funding Sources: | n/a |
| Policy Outcome(s): | Denver’s Ordinance Governing Food Producing Animals requires that a livestock or fowl license is necessary to raise certain food producing animals (i.e., up to eight ducks and/or chickens combined, and up to two dwarf goats). Should someone want to obtain this license, the applicant also needs to provide adequate daytime and nighttime shelters and enclosures, take the necessary precautions to not overcrowd the animals, and ensure protection from prey. |
| Additional Resources and Information: | Link 1 |
City and County of Denver Climate Adaptation Plan, Denver, Colorado
| Jurisdiction Name: | Denver |
| State/Province: | CO |
| Country: | United States |
| Type of Government: | Municipality/County |
| Population: | 600,158 |
| Population Range: | 250,000 to 999,999 |
| Policy Links: | Web – PDF |
| Policy type: | plan |
| Year: | 2014 |
| GFC Topic: | community food connections, community food production, community food security |
| Keywords: | agriculture, climate, climate adaptation, climate change, education, food acess, food hub, food retail, food security, local agriculture, local food, local food access, pest management, pests, plan, protection |
| Adopting Government Department(s): | City and County of Denver |
| Lead Implementing Entity(s): | Denver Climate Resilience Committee |
| Support Entity(s): | Supporting entities include city agencies and community partners, depending on the activities/strategies listed throughout the plan |
| Funding Amount: | n/a |
| Funding Sources: | n/a |
| Policy Outcome(s): | The 2014 City and County of Denver Climate Adaptation Plan is a supplement to the 2007 Climate Action Plan. These two documents, along with an updated 2015 Climate Action Plan, all work in tandem to address persistent climate-related challenges. One of the sections in the Climate Adaptation Plan is food and agriculture, the aim of which is to identify strategies that can adapt Denver’s food and agricultural systems to changing climate conditions. The two main goals of the section are to: 1) increase food security and 2) protect local agricultural resources against the increased threat of pests, invasive species and noxious weeds. The strategy to accomplish the former goal is to encourage local agriculture and a broad range of food outlets and regional food hubs for processing and distributing local foods. The strategy to accomplish the latter goal is to identify and assess invasive species and other threats to agricultural resources. Both strategies plan to utilize partnerships with educational and extension programs and public outreach campaigns. |
| Additional Resources and Information: | Link 1 |
One New York: The Plan for a Strong and Just City, New York, New York
| Jurisdiction Name: | New York City |
| State/Province: | NY |
| Country: | United States |
| Type of Government: | Municipality |
| Population: | 8,175,133 |
| Population Range: | 1 million or more |
| Policy Links: | Web – PDF |
| Policy type: | plan |
| Year: | 2015 |
| GFC Topic: | community food connections, community food production, community food security |
| Keywords: | food access, food affordability, food composting, food retail, food service, food waste, health, healthy, healthy food, healthy food access, nutrition, nutrition disparity, plan, regional, school food, underserved |
| Adopting Government Department(s): | New York City Council |
| Lead Implementing Entity(s): | Mayor's Office of Sustainability |
| Support Entity(s): | New York City Government Agencies |
| Funding Amount: | n/a |
| Funding Sources: | See the Ten-Year Capital Strategy, which aligned to ensure funding for OneNYC goals |
| Policy Outcome(s): | One New York is the city’s planning document to ensure a growing, thriving, just and equitable, sustainable and resilient city. While the plan has many focus areas, food systems issues are mainly addressed in the Industry Expansion and Cultivation (where there is an emphasis on supporting the food production and distribution industry), Healthy Neighborhoods, Active Living, and Zero Waste sections. The Healthy Neighborhoods, Active Living section has an overarching goal of improving food access, affordability and quality in a more sustainable and resilient food system. This large-scale goal is supported by initiatives such as investing in and utilizing regional food systems, improving school food quality, ensuring access to fresh food retail across all communities — but especially traditionally underserved communities — and supporting community gardens/urban farms in underserved communities. Zero Waste focuses on expanding the NYC Organics program to serve all New Yorkers by processing more food waste and assessing the long-term feasibility of the program, expanding composting programs to all five boroughs, and reducing food waste in the commercial sector. Since the plan’s adoption in 2015, the city has begun to administer a number of projects/programs aimed at improving food environments and addressing access and nutrition disparities. Such programs include the City’s Healthy Bucks program and Shop Healthy NYC. In 2018, the City of New York Department of Sanitation (DSNY) expanded its curb-side food waste collection program to the 17 remaining community districts in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. For residents who opt out of the curb-side program, DSNY funds and manages food scrap drop-off sites at various locations, which have increased from 34 sites in 2015 to 98 sites in 2018. |
| Additional Resources and Information: | Link 1 |
GroWNC Regional Plan, Western North Carolina, North Carolina
| Jurisdiction Name: | Western North Carolina |
| State/Province: | NC |
| Country: | United States |
| Type of Government: | Regional Agency |
| Population: | 1,473,241 |
| Population Range: | 1 million or more |
| Policy Links: | Web – PDF |
| Policy type: | plan |
| Year: | 2013 |
| GFC Topic: | community food connections, community food production, community food security |
| Keywords: | agricultural land preservation, environmental projects, food infrastructure, food production, healthy food access, local food access, regional agriculture, regional farms, rural, rural agriculture, sustainable agriculture, sustainable food, value-added |
| Adopting Government Department(s): | Land of Sky Regional Council |
| Lead Implementing Entity(s): | LandDesign; University of North Carolina, Asheville's National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center |
| Support Entity(s): | n/a |
| Funding Amount: | $1.6 million (2010-11) |
| Funding Sources: | Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Partnership for Sustainable Communities - The Sustainable Communitites Planning Grant Program |
| Policy Outcome(s): | The GroWNC Regional Plan spans five counties within the western portion of North Carolina. Although the plan covers various sectors, it incorporates many initiatives around food, farming, and agriculture due to their importance in the regional economy. For example, one of the goals of the resource conservation section is the preservation of agriculture and forestry lands. Further, the goal is supported by strategies such as permitting, allocating funding for farmland protection through local sales tax, establishing utility service agreements between jurisdictions and agricultural areas for water and sewer infrastructure, and identifying and encouraging opportunities for non-timber income such as forest foods. Another goal in the resource conversation section is to support the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, a project that helps local farmers succeed by linking farmers to markets and other supports and building healthy communities through connections to food. This goal requires developing a regional agriculture infrastructure assessment, supporting research that assists the regions food production, value-added products, marketing, and branding, preserving productive farmland and soils, and establishing a goal for a percentage of food sources locally for school lunches. Lastly, the ‘Healthy Communities’ section of the plan focuses on health and diets, and emphasizes the goal of improving healthy and local food access in all communities of the region. To do so, the plan reports that there must be a: revision of local ordinances to allow for farmers’ markets, produce stands and other outlets for fresh local foods, promotion of healthy local food in lower-income and rural areas, promotion/expansion of the use of EBT to purchase food at Farmers’ Markets, and replication and expansion of the program Green Opportunities around culinary skills, gardening/food production and business opportunities to train youth. |
| Additional Resources and Information: | Link 1 |
Sustainable DC, Washington, D.C.
| Jurisdiction Name: | Washington |
| State/Province: | D.C. |
| Country: | United States |
| Type of Government: | Municipality |
| Population: | 601,723 |
| Population Range: | 250,000 to 999,999 |
| Policy Links: | Web – PDF |
| Policy type: | plan |
| Year: | 2013 |
| GFC Topic: | |
| Keywords: | affordability, economic development, economic viability, food access, food security, healthy eating, healthy food access, land use, nutrition, plan, sustainability plan |
| Adopting Government Department(s): | D.C. Council |
| Lead Implementing Entity(s): | Department of Energy & Environment; Office of Planning |
| Support Entity(s): | Organizations, departments, and agencies are identified with each goal |
| Funding Amount: | Over $7.5 million to District agency innovation projects; more than $4.2 billion included in District's FY15 budget for projects related to Sustainable DC |
| Funding Sources: | Sustainable DC Innovation Challenge and Sustainable DC Budget Challenge supported by the Mayor and DC Council |
| Policy Outcome(s): | Sustainable DC is the district’s plan to become the healthiest, greenest and most livable city in the United States within the span of 20 years. One section of the plan is entirely focused on food, which envisions healthier residents and a more diverse economy fueled by a local, self-sustainable, accessible food production and distribution system. Goals of this section include increased agricultural land uses within the district, ensuring universal access to secure, nutritious and affordable food, and developing the food industry into a strong and viable economic sector. From 2013 to 2016, the city named it’s first Food Policy Director, established 16 new school gardens, and opened the East Capitol Urban Farm, which transformed D.C. Housing Authority owned-land into a thriving food production space for Ward 7 residents. A 2019 updated version of the policy, ‘Sustainable DC 2.0,’ can also be found in the database. |
| Additional Resources and Information: | Link 1 – Link 2 – Link 3 |