Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout20240508 - Sustainability Advisory Board - Food Systems Mapping #5Welcome photo from Melissa Stuber, Gallatin Grown Potato Fieldsphoto from Jonquil Nelson, Sage Gardeners Local Food System Preliminary Mapping Project Sustainability Advisory Board May 8, 2024 Why Local Food? •Climate Goals •Community Resilience •Food Access •Local Economy •Social Cohesion •Community Wellness •Nutrition •Culture Public Presentation 5/7/2024 Learn About the Local Food Landscape Cultivate Partnerships Identify Opportunities Project Goals Photo by Project Participant Josh Chance, Chance Farms How We Got Here MSU SFBS Capstone Students 2023 •City Adopts Bozeman Climate Plan2020 •Sustainability Advisory Board Discussions Nov2022 & Mar2023 •Scope Project & Hire Consultants •Establish Steering Committee Summer 2023 •Kick-off Workshop •Develop Interview Strategy •MSU SFBS Capstone Course Fall 2023 •Conduct Interviews2024 External Steering Committee •Christina Angell - Root Cellar Foods, Owner •Jake Feddes - Feddes Family Meats/Amsterdam Meat Shop, Owner •Laurie Little Dog - Lived Expert; Bozeman Health Family Birth Center; MSU Student •Mary Stein - MSU Sustainable Food Systems and Bioenergy Systems, Program Leader (retired); Buffalo Nations Food System Initiative, Program Manager •Matt Rothschiller - Gallatin Valley Botanical/Rocky Creek Farm, Owner/farmer •Mattie Griswold - Food and Nutrition Security Independent Consultant •Melissa and Travis Stuber - Gallatin Grown, Owner/Farmer •Rachelle Sartori - MSU Extension, Nutrition Education Director •Sam Blomquist - Prospera Business Network, Food & Agriculture Program Director Steering Committee & Kick-Off Workshop Participating City Departments •Parks & Recreation •Community Engagement •Community Development •Sustainability •Forestry •Water Conservation •Planning Economic •Development Gallatin County Staff Member Core Topics 1.Food Access 2.Resilience in the Face of Disruption 3.Community Wellness, Education, & Culture 4.Production 5.Food Pathways 6.Ecological Sustainability Key Questions A.Assets B.Challenges & Opportunities C.Role of the City of Bozeman D.Next Steps E.Metrics Core Topics & Key Questions Photo by Project Participant Claudia Krevat, Claudia’s Mesa Producers Processors Distributors Small business/ food entrepreneurs Retail/grocers Restaurant/ catering professionals Food bank/ food assistance Compost/ waste management Nutrition/ health professionals Institutional culinary professionals Education (pre-K, K-12, experiential educators) Research and higher education Government (Extension, City, County) Agricultural organizations (AGAI, FFA, 4-H) Conservation professionals (TPL, GVLT, etc) Economic development (Prospera, etc) Concerned/engaged community members (diverse representatives, faith-based advocates) Financing Institutions Economists Potential Interview Populations (from March 2023 Advisory Board Meeting) Who We Interviewed Food Access + Resilience •Greater Gallatin United Way •Bozeman School District •Human Resources Development Council •Gallatin Valley Farmers Market •Mothers who have experienced food insecurity •Preschool provider •MSU-Extension •Red Cross •Montana Partnership to End Childhood Hunger •CFAC Food Access Program Producers •Organic vegetable farmer •Small scale meat goat producer •Seed potato farmer •AGAI board member •Bozeman Winter Market •MSU Towns Harvest •Grass fed beef producer •Niche market entrepreneur •Rancher •Montana Dept of Agriculture, Food and Ag Development Center Network Food System Pathways •Entrepreneurs •Grocers •Restauranteurs •MSU & MSU-Extension •Finance •YES Compost •Happy Trash Can •Root Cellar Foods •Quality Foods Distributing •Prospera Business Network •AERO •Open & Local Community Wellness, Culture, and Education •Gallatin Valley Farm to School •MSU Extension •Gardening support and educators •Gallatin College Culinary Arts •MSU Graduate Students •Food sovereignty and Land-based graduate student •Buffalo Nations Food Systems Initiative •Montana Dietetic Interns Ecological Sustainability •Producers •MSU Extension •GVLT •MSU professors •NRCS •AGAI Board Member •Producers Input from over 80 individuals •8 group sessions •15 individual interviews •Follow-up via email + survey (responses: 11) •Outreach to over 150 people •SFBS Capstone 2023, 11 students: “Municipal Government Strategies for Nurturing a Robust Local Food System in Bozeman” Practitioner Interviews Sustainability Advisory Board April 10 4/8 + 4/15 Project Steering Committee Project Participant Presentation April 24 May 7 + 9 Public Presentations Sustainability Advisory Board May 8 . . . Begin Next Steps Local Food System Preliminary Mapping ProjectFeedback ➞ Next Steps photo by Josh Chance, Chance FarmsPhoto courtesy of Claudia Galofre Krevat, Claudia's Mesa Photo by Susan DuncanPhoto by Susan DuncanSusan Duncan Core Topics 1.Food Access 2.Resilience in the Face of Disruption 3.Community Wellness, Education, & Culture 4.Production 5.Food Pathways 6.Ecological Sustainability Key Questions A.Assets B.Challenges & Opportunities C.Role of the City of Bozeman D.Next Steps E.Metrics Core Topics & Key Questions ➞ Key Takeaways Key Takeaways • Leadership • Land Access + Collaboration • Awareness + Outreach • Housing + Resilience • Infrastructure + Sector Development Today Table of Contents I.Executive Summary II.Acknowledgements III.Key Terms IV.Project Approach V.Key Takeaways VI.Opportunities VII.Next Steps Appendices A.Assets B.Challenges C.Intersection of City Documents with the Food System D.Insights by Core Topic E.Organizations & Entities Identified by Project Participants F.Asset Landscape G.Indicators to Consider H.Assorted Data I.Resources + References J.Nutrition Education Resources Key Takeaways • Opportunities • Next Steps Leadership – Key Takeaways •Participants encouraged the City of Bozeman to step up its role as a community leader: •champion local food policies •leverage resources •integrate a commitment to local food systems and community food security •Bozeman serves as a central driver for the local food economy. •Collaboration is key. Involve farmers, food system practitioners. •Help leverage the purchasing power of large institutions. Lead by example. •Be certain Indigenous people lead initiatives or programming related to Indigenous food sovereignty. “Do not reach out if you are not serious about putting in the time, offering space, giving those voices a seat at the table.” - Project Participant Leadership – Opportunities + Next Steps 1.Communicate with potential partners, implement next steps, prioritize and pursue Opportunities. 2.Develop and adopt a local food procurement policy. Actively promote and share with institutions, businesses, community members. 3.Provide opportunities for City staff and leadership to participate in site visits and educational opportunities. 4.Build relationships with members of the Indigenous community, explore partnerships. 5.Identify incentives and other financial mechanisms Bozeman could establish to support access to locally grown, nutritious foods. 6.Incorporate Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) incentives or "market bucks" into wellness and employee appreciation programming for City employees. 7.Initiate dialog with key partners, including Gallatin County and peer communities, about developing a Local Food Council in this area. 8.Collaborate with partner organizations and the State Legislature to promote policies and initiatives. 2. Land Access + Collaboration — Key Takeaways •There is still land with available water and rich soil in and around Bozeman. •Development and land prices have made accessing land to grow food increasingly challenging. •Access to community-owned farmland, incubator farms, and longer-term affordable farm leases would help support new entry farmers and experienced- but-landless farmers. •"Urban agriculture" can take many forms. •Expanding urban agriculture on City-owned land aligns with City goals, but the City lacks the capacity to manage and grow these initiatives independently. •Given their interest in improving and expanding their community garden program, the City could play a role bringing partners together including Gallatin County to expand collaboration, develop a vision, and identify next steps. 2. Land Access + Collaboration — Opportunities 1.Continue working to strengthen and expand the City's community garden program. •Complete upgrades + maintenance •Evaluate Cash-in-Lieu grants as tool to support •Convene non-profits and agencies involved in garden programming and community garden management. 2.Work with partners to identify City-owned/managed lands appropriate for community gardens and other forms of urban ag. 3.Explore the formation of an entity or 'urban agriculture collaborative’. 4.Invite key partners such as Gallatin County and MSU to consider a broader evaluation of lands in or near the City that could be appropriate for new entry farm incubation, small- to mid-scale long-term leasing, or various forms of urban agriculture. 5.Work with community partners including Gallatin County to develop a long-term shared vision for diversified agricultural production in and around Bozeman. 3. Awareness + Outreach — Key Takeaways •There is an increasing need to help bridge the urban-rural divide and foster connections to our land, water, and heritage. •Cultivating a deeper sense of place and connecting people to the origins of their food strengthens community relationships and supports local food systems. •The City is in a position to help institutions, residents and visitors understand the significance of local foods and resilient food systems: community resilience, local economy, community wellness, ecological sustainability •There is a need to increase awareness and understanding of locally grown foods and how individuals, institutions and funders can support the local food system. •Taking a creative and multi-layered approach to education and outreach is essential to engage a diverse array of community members. 3. Awareness + Outreach — Opportunities 1.Transition project website into "Resilient Local Food System" resource. 2.Expand existing City planting incentives and outreach programs to include food-bearing species. Coordinate with partners and experts to address wildlife concerns. 3.Strengthen community members' sense of place and connection with our natural environment by building connection to local foods and our diverse agricultural heritage. •Incorporate this valley's diverse agricultural heritage into historic preservation planning •Partner with local organizations on educational opportunities and art installations. 4.Once developed, actively share Bozeman's local food procurement policy. 5.Evaluate and prioritize outreach strategies that encourage residents, visitors and institutions to participate in meaningful ways in Bozeman's resilient local foods culture and "buy local." 6.Encourage and empower community members to grow their own food. 7.Consider how incentives to reduce food waste could support implementation of expanded City compost program. 4. Housing + Resilience — Key Takeaways •The housing and affordability crisis is having significant impacts on local farms, food businesses, educators, resource providers, and community wellness. •As the City seeks housing solutions, there is an opportunity to seek innovative solutions that ensure access to natural assets such as urban agriculture. •There is interest in developing multi-use sites for urban agriculture and affordable housing. This requires partnerships, creative financing, & community guidance. •The City’s role in responding to food emergencies + ensuring food resilience could be clarified. •There is opportunity and need for the City to help increase awareness of existing community resources and programs that reduce barriers to local, nutritious foods 4. Housing + Resilience — Opportunities 1.Prioritize multi-modal transportation options facilitating access to local food access sites. 2.Host working session to review UDC from urban agriculture perspective. 3.Define the City’s role in engaging and responding to food emergencies to ensure food security. 4.Develop resources to share with developers, neighborhood associations, property management companies, and residents ("Urban Ag for Developers" guide, Model HOA Covenants). 5.Explore working with partners to establish creatively financed affordable housing projects that incorporate urban agriculture assets. 6.Continue efforts to establish affordable workforce housing. 7.As the City reviews and updates codes, policies, and plans, use a resilient local food system lens. 5. Infrastructure + Sector Development — Key Takeaways •Resilient local food systems are dynamic, involve many players, operate at multiple scales. This network of relationships helps communities withstand both consistent stressors and shocks to the system. •Rising costs are increasing stress and impacting sustainability. •Participants expressed interest in expanded capacity for aggregation, storage, distribution in collaboration with existing assets. •a permanent, year-round, dedicated farmers market facility with adjacent storage, aggregation, and potentially other resources would be valuable •A grower co-op for value chain coordination, cooperative space, and/or collective farming could be an effective tool to support farmers who currently 'do it all'. •Affordable licensed commercial kitchen space is scarce, navigating existing spaces is challenging. •While many resources exist, local food entrepreneurs expressed a need for comprehensive technical assistance and mentoring. 5. Infrastructure + Sector Dev. — Opportunities 1.Collaborate with partners including Gallatin County on community infrastructure projects that enhance the local food system. Such as a permanent farmers market location, community kitchens, etc. 2.Convene business development and support resource providers to map various programs available for different business sizes and types and identify gaps. 3.Grant opportunities open for municipalities or strengthened by municipal partnership. 4.Learn what workforce needs exist throughout the local food system and develop or support opportunities for intentional engagement with students across K-12 and higher education. 5.Track reports of municipal barriers to the development of local food system infrastructure. Next Steps Photos Provided by Project Participants Karl Johnson (top, left); Claudia Krevat (top, right), Esther Smith (bottom, left), Josh Chance (bottom, right) Next Steps 1.1 Continue communication with project participants and additional potential partners to discuss findings and feedback, implement next steps, and prioritize and pursue Opportunities. 1.2 Develop and adopt a City of Bozeman local food procurement policy for internal operations and City-hosted events. 1.3 Provide opportunities for City staff and leadership to participate in site visits and educational programs. 1.4 Build relationships with members of the Indigenous peoples’ community living in Bozeman. 2.1 Continue working to strengthen and expand the City of Bozeman’s community garden program. 3.1 Transition the “Local Food System Preliminary Mapping Project” webpage into a central City location for “Resilient Local Food System” information and resources. 3.2 Expand existing City planting incentives and outreach programs to include food-bearing species. 3.3 Strengthen sense of place and the connection between community members and our natural environment. 4.1 Continue to prioritize developing and improving multimodal transportation options that facilitate access to local food sources such as HRDC’s Market Place facility, community gardens, etc. 4.2 Host a working session with food system practitioners to review the Unified Development Code (UDC). 4.3 Define the City’s role in ensuring community food security during emergencies and planning for community food resilience. 5.1 Collaborate with partners including Gallatin County on community infrastructure projects that enhance the local food system. Such as a permanent farmers market location, community kitchens, etc. 5.2 Convene business development and support resource providers to map various programs available for different business sizes and types and identify gaps. Develop communication and information about the resources available. Local Food Systems Preliminary Mapping Project Final Report Table of Contents I.Executive Summary II.Acknowledgements III.Key Terms IV.Project Approach V.Key Takeaways VI.Opportunities VII.Next Steps Appendices A.Assets B.Challenges C.Intersection of City Documents with the Food System D.Insights by Core Topic E.Organizations & Entities Identified by Project Participants F.Asset Landscape G.Indicators to Consider H.Assorted Data I.Resources + References J.Nutrition Education Resources Both photos on the right: City Staff tour HRDC Market Placephoto by project participant Claudia Galofre-Krevat, Claudia’s Mesa Public Presentation at Bozeman Public Library, May 7, 2024 photo from Melissa Stuber, Gallatin Grown Potato Fieldsphoto from Jonquil Nelson, Sage GardenersAli Chipouras achipouras@bozeman.net Kate Burnaby Wright kbwmontana@gmail.com Maclaren Latta maclaren.latta@gmail.com Bozeman.net/sustainability Q&A Public Presentations •Tuesday, May 7 at 6 PM —Bozeman Public Library, Community Room •Wednesday, May 8 at 6PM—Sustainability Advisory Board (City Hall/Virtual) •Thursday, May 9 at 10 AM —Virtual