The Growing Food Connections Essential Food Systems Reader is a collection of published resources that explore local and regional level public policy challenges and opportunities related to the following issues:
- Community food production: efforts to grow, raise and harvest crops, raise animals, fish, hunt or forage food for human consumption in urban, suburban and rural areas
- Community food security: the state in which all members of a community have sufficient and adequate access to healthy, affordable and culturally acceptable food, particularly under-served residents in urban, suburban and rural areas
- Community food connections: the challenges and opportunities of simultaneously improving community food production viability and food security for under-served residents.
The Essential Food Systems Reader includes carefully selected professional reports and articles, books, peer-reviewed journal articles and other resources such as fact sheets, briefing papers and white papers from the American Planning Association, the American Farmland Trust, and other national membership organizations, federal agencies and non-profit organizations. Unlike traditional food systems bibliographies, the Essential Food Systems Reader focuses on resources related to public policy, and the role of the local or regional government in improving community food production and community food security. Collectively, the Essential Food Systems Reader provides a foundation of knowledge on these topics – a starting place for communities wishing to tackle these important issues.
Urban Agriculture: Growing Healthy, Sustainable Places
January 1, 1970
This report provides authoritative guidance for dealing with the opportunities and challenges faced by cities and counties of varying sizes, economies, and locations in supporting and expanding urban agriculture. Through...
Seeding the City: Land Use Policies to Promote Urban Agriculture
January 1, 1970
Urban agriculture refers to a wide range of activities involving the raising, cultivation, processing, marketing, and distribution of food in urban areas. Communities around the country are looking to promote...
Exploring food system policy: A survey of food policy councils in the United States
January 1, 1970
This article provides an overview of results from a survey of 92 food policy councils in the United States. Results show food policy councils are engaged in policy processes at...
Emerging Assessment Tools to Inform Food System Planning
January 1, 1970
Food system planning is an emerging field engaging planners and planning organizations, civic leaders, citizens, food policy councils and others interested in creating more sustainable food systems. Planning practices are...
Supporting Agricultural Viability and Community Food Security: A Review of Food Policy Councils and Food System Plans
January 1, 1970
American Farmland Trust identified and reviewed 134 food policy councils and food system plans to determine if they lead to state and local government actions to strengthen community food systems.
Planning for Agriculture in New York: A toolkit for Towns and Counties
January 1, 1970
This guide helps communities engage farmers and rural landowners in local planning efforts; assesses current town policies and their effectiveness; and provides a range of tools available to help New...
Planning for Agriculture: A Guide for Connecticut Municipalities
January 1, 1970
This guide provides a primer and introductory toolkit for planners and municipal officials in Connecticut on planning for agriculture. It outlines a broad range of tools and resources available to...
Food Policy Councils: Food Systems Planning Briefing Paper
January 1, 1970
This report provides an overview of food policy councils, charts the functions of planners on food policy councils in a detailed matrix, highlights common ways that planning departments support food...
Food Systems Planning Quicknotes
January 1, 1970
This briefing paper discusses how planners can become involved in planning for food production, processing, and distribution, while also improving access to healthy foods. A good resource to share with...
A Planners Guide to Community and Regional Food Planning: Transforming Food Environments, Facilitating Healthy Eating
January 1, 1970
Drawing lessons from six case studies of communities nationwide, this classic report published by the American Planning Association outlines strategies that planners can adopt to facilitate healthy eating through community...
