Inaugural Dane County Food System Action Plan Newsletter

Welcome to the inaugural biweekly update on the Dane County Food System Action Plan! We’re thrilled to share our progress on this vital initiative, designed to transform our local food system. This ambitious project unfolds in three key phases:

A comprehensive Literature Review to understand existing data and reports on our food system.
Extensive Community Engagement to gather insights directly from people on the ground about their needs and vision for our food system.
Food System Action Plan writing, where we synthesize this information into a report to inform policymakers and the public on the best strategies for improvement.

Our comprehensive plan examines every facet of the food supply chain—from agricultural production and infrastructure to food businesses, consumers, emergency food services, and waste streams—all guided by our commitment to fostering a more equitable, healthy, vibrant, resilient, sustainable, and collaborative food system. While our primary focus is on Dane County’s production, access, and infrastructure, we recognize our broader foodshed and aim to engage both local policymakers and the entire Dane County community in this crucial work.

We are currently wading deep into the Community Engagement phase, and we need your voice to help shape this plan!

Get involved!

Share your perspectives by taking our Consumer Survey. (completed)
Or, if you’re a farmer, please complete our dedicated Farmer Survey.
For those interested in facilitating discussions within their own networks, we invite you to host your own engagement session.
Additionally, keep an eye out for our next newsletter, where we’ll announce upcoming Food System Plan events you can attend to contribute your insights directly.

– Noah Bloedorn, Food System Action Plan Partnership Manager, REAP Food Group