Goal 1 – Collaboration
Creating a More Interconnected Local Food System by Building Social Infrastructure That Fosters Opportunities for Collaboration
Food system work in Dane County is decentralized across a number of entities, organizations, and individuals. While there is no “Food Department” in any branch of local government, there are a number of stakeholders in Dane County that are dedicated to improving parts or all of our food system through programs and initiatives that support our community’s food system needs.
The primary goal of this food plan is to increase collaboration across all food system partners. This will be achieved by strengthening existing relationships and inviting new voices—particularly those who have been historically excluded—into ongoing work, combining local government support with grassroots community momentum.
The various stakeholders in our food system—governments, nonprofits, private businesses, producers, and consumers—may not all have the same motivations. Consumers may see affordability as the most important outcome of a stronger food system, while producers and food business owners may need to see the true costs of their labor priced into the cost of food. Understanding these incentives will create more opportunities to find partnership and alignment on areas of common interest. By developing more pathways for community engagement and increasing connectivity between the agencies, organizations, and individuals involved in food system leadership, we can have a larger collective impact and a greater likelihood of improving food system outcomes.
Strategies
1. Align Food System Backbone Organizations
Food-based nonprofit organizations in Dane County have historically operated with some degree of independence from one another. This plan calls for the creation of a “backbone” network of organizations outside of local government that can provide shared leadership and structure for the advancement of food system goals and priorities. A collective impact approach across organizations will lead to enhanced communication and partnership, ultimately creating new opportunities for innovation despite the competitive and shifting resource landscape.
Actions
- Integrate Food System Action Plan goals and strategies into work and strategic plans of backbone organizations.
- Strengthen shared functions and pursue funding opportunities based on collective impact.
2. Connect Plans That Address or Relate to Food Systems Work
Previous planning efforts have identified food system activities. Often, these plans have focused on parts of the food system but rarely have they connected across multiple sectors. This Action Plan seeks to connect and elevate past efforts and create a framework to support future planning efforts.
Actions
- Build Food System Action Plan recommendations into future plans and planning efforts, including organizational strategic plans, city/county plans of work, food council action plans, and future comprehensive planning efforts.
- Facilitate partnerships between organizations working on farmland preservation in order to collaborate toward shared goals.
- Monitor emergence of new plans and related documents for future updates to the Dane County Food System Action Plan.
3. Align Food Systems Advocacy Efforts
Survey respondents indicated they feel disconnected from information about the food system and unable to directly influence decisions. In order to create ongoing community engagement opportunities, we must develop new structures and enhance existing methods of collecting community input to inform decision-making of policymakers. Creating a social infrastructure that supports relationship-building, resource-sharing, learning, and collaboration will lead to new advocacy opportunities that support implementation of this Plan.
Actions
- Enhance opportunities for residents to engage with the Madison Food Policy Council and Dane County Food Council, both as prospective members and as community members interested in these topics.
- Promote public involvement in community-led organizations like the Dane County Food Collective.
- Identify more local food system leadership opportunities for systemically excluded community members.
- Strengthen opportunities for ongoing public engagement, input, and feedback on food system projects and programs.
4. Increase Focus on Food Systems Across Local Government
Food systems touch many areas of local government, including departments focused on economic development, public health, streets, engineering, land use, parks, and more. State agencies, many of which are located in Dane County, also have expertise in these areas. While there is no food department to oversee interconnected food systems efforts, there are opportunities to increase collaboration across agencies. Over time, interdepartmental collaboration will lead to stronger relationships and connections, and partners can in turn use this Plan to inform their decision-making.
Actions
- Develop a food system intergovernmental collaborative, where staff across multiple agencies can convene to monitor progress on Food System Action Plan goals and implementation.
- Align city and county government grant programs related to food systems with Food System Action Plan objectives.
- Create a Food Policy Director position within the City of Madison or Dane County government.
- Explore greater partnership and shared leadership between Madison and Dane County food councils.
5. Increase Communication, Data-Sharing, and Education
A deeper public understanding of current conditions and potential impacts of future changes in the food system will drive increased investment. Achieving this will require consistent, transparent, and evidence-based communication from trusted sources. Currently, information is decentralized across a variety of agencies and organizations including local, state, and federal government offices; nonprofits that monitor different supply chain sectors; and analytics from private businesses that move or sell food products. Strategic alignment of communication channels, data sharing, and educational materials across partners will improve the opportunities for coordinated action.
Actions
- Identify key data sources and metrics for monitoring the implementation and progress of the Dane County Food System Action Plan.
- Increase shared communications amongst government agencies, non-profits, businesses, and the general public in relation to food systems needs and progress.
- Invest in information technology to track metrics, increase communication, and report on progress.
- Create opportunities for food system leadership and skill development.