Regional Food Systems Plan for Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, Northeast Vermont, Vermont

Jurisdiction Name: Northeastern Vermont
State/Province: VT
Country: United States
Type of Government: Regional Agency
Population: 64,764
Population Range: 50,000 to 249,999
Policy Links: WebPDF
Policy type: plan
Year: 2016
GFC Topic: community food connections, community food production, community food security
Keywords: affordability, agricultural economy, buy local, conservation, economic development, food marketing, food processing, food system plan, food waste, infrastructure, regional, rural development, value-added production
Adopting Government Department(s):

Northeastern Vermont Development Association

Lead Implementing Entity(s): Northeast Kingdom Food System Leadership Team
Support Entity(s):

University of Vermont Extension, Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, Northeast Kingdom Collaborative, Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets, Vermont Association of Planning & Development Agencies

Funding Amount: $111,781 (one-time award in 2015)
Funding Sources: USDA Rural Business Opportunity Grant
Policy Outcome(s):

The Regional Food Systems Plan for Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, a region of Vermont that includes Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans counties, aims to reconnect and deepen relationships within the food system to be more ecologically sustainable (supportive of local farmers, food producers, and economies) and respectful of social society. The Regional Plan’s primary goal is to drive the development of new and more diverse agricultural activity and to develop a comprehensive strategy to stimulate the innovative food system sector of the three counties by providing strategic guidance to the area’s key businesses and non-profits, integrating agriculturally-focused approaches with existing land use and community development priorities, identifying economic growth opportunities for the major constituent groups in the agricultural sector in the region, providing coordination of existing and future technical assistance providers to maximize benefit to working lands enterprises, energizing and supporting regional public health and social equity initiatives, and providing an informed basis for coordination with ongoing regional planning efforts.

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1Link 2Link 3

Future Open Space Preservation Committee (FOSP), Town of Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Jurisdiction Name: Cape Elizabeth
State/Province: ME
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality
Population: 9,230
Population Range: 2,500 to 19,999
Policy Links: WebPDF
Policy type: program
Year: 2012
GFC Topic: community food production
Keywords: Environmental Protection, Land trust, advisory committee, evaluation, open space, policy, preservation, zoning
Adopting Government Department(s):

Cape Elizabeth Town Council

Lead Implementing Entity(s): The Future Open Space Preservation Committee
Support Entity(s):

n/a

Funding Amount: n/a
Funding Sources: Cape Elizabeth Town Council
Policy Outcome(s):

FOSP will have ten members and is formed with the objective of assessing the costs and benefits of development versus preservation of undeveloped land. FOSP will involve and coordinate with the Cape Farm Alliance (CFA) and the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust (CELT). There are 10 specific goals for the committee created by this policy, some of which are supervision of a telephone survey, cost benefit analysis, tool and process development for evaluating and acquiring open space opportunities, a public workshop focused on open space protection and sustainable farming and proactive acquisition identification.

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1

Wayne County, NY: Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan

Jurisdiction Name: Wayne County
State/Province: NY
Country: United States
Type of Government: County
Population: 93,772
Population Range: 50,000 to 249,999
Policy Links: WebPDF
Policy type: plan
Year: 2011
GFC Topic: community food production
Keywords: agricultural practices, agriculture, economic development, farm, farmland, farmland protection, food production, local, local farm products, local food, plan, production, protection, rural, rural agriculture, staffing
Adopting Government Department(s):

Commissioner of Agriculture (New York)

Lead Implementing Entity(s): Wayne County Agricultural Development Board
Support Entity(s):

n/a

Funding Amount: not applicable
Funding Sources: not applicable
Policy Outcome(s):

Agricultural Economic Development Specialist position created as an outgrowth of the plan; purchase of Development Rights easements have preserved 3,400 acres; New farmer program – Exploring the Small Farm Dream; micro-loan program for county farm businesses; training and support for town planning and zoning boards with emphasis on planning for agriculture

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1Link 2Link 3

Keeping of Honeybees, Ordinance No. 2009-Or-032

Jurisdiction Name: Minneapolis
State/Province: MN
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality
Population: 392,880
Population Range: 250,000 to 999,999
Policy Links: WebPDF
Policy type: ordinance
Year: 2009
GFC Topic: community food production
Keywords: agriculture, food production, honeybee permit, honeybees, honeybees permit, keeping of honeybees, production, urban, urban agriculture
Adopting Government Department(s):

Minneapolis City Council

Lead Implementing Entity(s): Minneapolis Animal Care & Control
Support Entity(s):

n/a

Funding Amount:
Funding Sources:
Policy Outcome(s):

amended Title 4, Chapter 74, Section 74.80 of the Minneapolis Code of Ordinances relating to the Animals and Fowl: Miscellaneous Regulations, to legalize the keeping of honeybees with a permit

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1Link 2Link 3

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: WebPDF
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 1Link 2Link 3

Denver Food Matters, 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: WebPDF
Policy type: project
Year: 2018
GFC Topic: community food connections
Keywords: commercial, food business, food recycling, food rescue, food waste, food waste reduction, neighborhood, pilot
Adopting Government Department(s):

City of Denver Department of Public Health & Environment

Lead Implementing Entity(s): Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC); Denver Department of Public Health and Environment
Support Entity(s):

Denver Public Works

Funding Amount: $200,000 from 2018-2020
Funding Sources: The Rockefeller Foundation
Policy Outcome(s):

Denver Food Matters is a pilot project (2018-2020) in the City and County of Denver to sustain ongoing city-level support for food waste and rescue. The project is part of a larger effort to achieve a 57 percent reduction in tons of residential food waste. The project intends to do so by supporting consumer education on food waste, encouraging businesses to reduce food waste and food donations, and expanding residential and commercial composting opportunities. The first deliverable of the project in 2018 includes consumer, business and health inspector education of food waste. The second deliverable in 2019 is food donation policy change and stakeholder engagement. Lastly, in 2020, the expected deliverable is a sustainability plan for residential and commercial composting. Expected outcomes are three-fold: 1) increased household food scrap recycling in homes by diverting waste; 2) increased neighborhood participation in the Sustainable Neighborhood Program and pilot neighborhood level food waste diversion; and 3) increased number of food service businesses in the Certifiably Green Business Program and increased prevented food waste.

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1Link 2

East End Grocery and Retail Incentive Program Tax Exemption Act of 2018, Washington, D.C.

Jurisdiction Name: District of Columbia
State/Province: DC
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality
Population: 693,972
Population Range: 250,000 to 999,999
Policy Links: WebPDF
Policy type: act
Year: 2018
GFC Topic: community food connections, community food security
Keywords: act, business, development, disparities, economic investment, local food purchasing, store, tax exemption, tax rebate, underserved
Adopting Government Department(s):

Council of the District of Columbia

Lead Implementing Entity(s): Office of Tax and Revenue
Support Entity(s):

n/a

Funding Amount: n/a
Funding Sources: n/a
Policy Outcome(s):

This bill exempts anchor retail grocery stores and sit-down restaurants in Wards 7 and 8 of Washington D.C. from real property tax, possessory interest tax, transfer tax, license fees, personal property tax, corporate franchise tax and sales or use taxes on property or services used to build the store. These exemptions are valid for 30 years. The act is one part of a three part bill, The East End Health Care Desert, Retail Desert, and Food Desert Elimination Act, which was designed to bring high quality medical services, grocery and retail services to the residents of Wards 7 and 8.

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1Link 2

Healthy Food Incentives Ordinance, Article 8 Section 471 of the San Francisco Health Code

Jurisdiction Name: San Francisco
State/Province: CA
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality/County
Population: 805,195
Population Range: 250,000 to 999,999
Policy Links: WebPDF
Policy type: ordinance
Year: 2010
GFC Topic: community food security
Keywords: children, health, health promoting, healthy, healthy choices, healthy food, nutrition, nutrition standards
Adopting Government Department(s):

City and County of San Francisco, San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Lead Implementing Entity(s): San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco Department of Environment
Support Entity(s):

Institute of Medicine, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Funding Amount: n/a
Funding Sources: n/a
Policy Outcome(s):

This ordinance improves the health of children and adolescents in San Francisco by allowing restaurants to give away free toys only if the foods purchased meet specified nutritional criteria.

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1

Shaping Portland’s Food System f/k/a The Mayor’s Initiative for a Healthy and Sustainable Food System, Portland, Maine

Jurisdiction Name: Portland
State/Province: ME
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality
Population: 66,649
Population Range: 50,000 to 249,999
Policy Links: WebPDF
Policy type: program
Year: 2012
GFC Topic: community food connections, community food production, community food security
Keywords: buy local, consumption, distribution, food access, food policy council, food production, food system, food waste, healthy food access, local economy, local farm products, local food access, local food system, sustainable local food system, urban agriculture
Adopting Government Department(s):

Mayor's Office

Lead Implementing Entity(s): Steering Committee
Support Entity(s):

Portland Food Council, Cumberland County Food Security Council

Funding Amount: n/a
Funding Sources: n/a
Policy Outcome(s):

Provide continued and increased public engagement in food-related policies and initiatives; Identify and implement positive changes in the community’s food systems and policies; Prioritize and respond to City and community identified needs for food system change and improvement; and Increase access to healthier food for residents. This program ultimately lead to the creation of the Portland Food Council.

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1Link 2Link 3