Literature Review Summary

The Dane County Food System Action Plan was developed on a foundation of research into existing food system assessments, regional food plans, and peer-reviewed literature. Prior to community engagement, the Project Team conducted an extensive literature review that analyzed dozens of reports on local and regional food systems with particular focus on Dane County’s agricultural, economic, and social context. 

Review of Food Plans

The Project Team began the literature review process by gathering contemporary food plans from other cities. One key resource was the article Planning the foodshed: Rural and peri-urban factors in local food strategies of major cities in Canada and the United States, which provided initial insight into other areas of the country that have undertaken similar efforts. 

Through this research, the following community food system plans were identified:

These plans provided insight into the different ways of communicating about food systems, how to organize context and recommendations, and the formatting and graphic design methods to make the information accessible while providing the necessary context. This also allowed for comparative understanding of different frameworks that could be used to inform the Project Team’s shared understanding of the Dane County food system.

The review led to an initial outline of the Food System Action Plan and informed the organizing principles of the community engagement process. It also led to the development of the Dane County Food System Action Plan webpage that would serve as the hub for project updates and public communication during the planning process and ultimately as an interactive home to the content of the final Plan.

SWOT Analysis

Beyond municipal food plans, a variety of other reports and resources were used to enhance the Project Team’s understanding of local food system conditions in a variety of sectors in Dane County and beyond. These materials are listed below. 

To process this large volume of information, the Project Team developed a comprehensive Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis across the sectors of the food system, and became the analytical backbone of the planning process. The SWOT analysis served multiple functions:

  • Establishing a shared understanding of Dane County’s food system assets and vulnerabilities before beginning the community engagement process, ensuring that engagement activities were designed to test, deepen, and challenge the picture emerging from the literature.
  • Developing themes to inform the goals, strategies, and actions presented in this plan. 
  • Organizing of supplementary materials used in the community engagement process, such as  community engagement presentations
  • Providing the evidentiary grounding for the existing conditions narrative
  • Identifying key questions for the community engagement process.

Together, the literature review, SWOT analysis, and research process gave the Project Team an evidence-based starting point—grounded in both national research and local conditions—from which to design the community engagement process. This allowed for the development of a Food System Action Plan reflective of Dane County’s unique food system context, challenges, and aspirations.

References

Agricultural marketing boards. (2025). Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. 

Ankathi, S. K., Watkins, D., Sreedhara, P., Zuhlke, J., & Shonnard, D. (2021). GIS-integrated optimization for locating food waste and manure anaerobic co-digestion facilities. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 9(11).

Clark-Barol, M., Gaddis, J. E., & Barrett, C. K. Food agency in low-income households: A qualitative study of the structural and individual factors impacting participants in a community-based nutrition program.  (2021). Appetite, 157.

Crook, A., Harris, A. P., & Guffey Calkins, J. Advancing racial and social equity in Wisconsin farm to school: Strategies for investing in historically underserved producers. (2023). UW-Madison Extension. 

Census of Agriculture – Wisconsin. (2022). United States Department of Agriculture. 

Dane County farmland preservation plan. (2022). Dane County Department of Planning & Development. 

De Master, K. Where do ‘localphiles’ shop? A mixed-methods case study of food-buying habits. (2021). Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 10(2), 341–362.

The devastating consequences of unequal food access: The role of race and income in diabetes. (2016). Union of Concerned Scientists. 

Elliot, S., Groendyk, J., and Niland, L. Dane County Pandemic Food System Study (2023). Prepared for the Dane County Food Council  by SIFT Consulting, LLC.

Eisenreich, R., & Pollari, C. Addressing Higher Risk of Suicide Among Farmers in Rural America. (2021). National Rural Health Association.

Food Crisis Action Plan (2025). Healthy Food For All of Dane County.

Foodscapes: Toward food system transition. (2021). The Nature Conservancy. 

Haines, A.L. What Does Zoning Have to Do with Local Food Systems? (2018). Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development.

Hadacek, J., & Deller, S. Wisconsin Farming: Insights from the 2022 Census of Agriculture. (2022).UW–Madison Extension. 

Hammer, M., & Malual, J. Entrepreneurs of color in Wisconsin: Bridging the gap in resources to mobilize potential. (2020). Community Development, 52(1), 106–123.

Healthy Retail Access Program (HRAP) review (Final report) (2018). Prepared for the City of Madison Department of Planning, Community & Economic Development by the Food Trust. 

Healthy Food For All Children Community Plan (2013). United Way of Dane County. 

Heckman, N., & Suri, D. Food Insecurity in Dane County (2025). Public Health Madison and Dane County & Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin.

Hildebrand, C., & Sumner, R. Recovery programs seek to solve food waste — and insecurity — in Wisconsin (2022). Wisconsin Watch; Wisconsin Public Radio. 

Kulwiec, A., & Ibarra, A. Dairy Workers Study: Legal and Community Needs Assessment (2023). University of Wisconsin–Madison School for Workers & Legal Action of Wisconsin Farmworker Project.  

Madison terminal market report. (2020). Agricultural and Community Development Services. Prepared for the Madison Food Policy Council. 

Miller, M. Identifying critical thresholds for resilient regional food flows: A case study from the U.S. Upper Midwest. (2021). Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems.

Pathak, A., Richards, R., & Jarsulic, M. The United States Can End Hunger and Food Insecurity for Millions of People (2022). Center for American Progress.

Recovery continues for restaurants and bars. (2023). Wisconsin Policy Forum. 

Reznickova, A. Food insecurity is a bigger problem than our government thinks. (2023). Union of Concerned Scientists.

Sanchez, M., & Jameel, M. Officials Approve $8 Million for Housing for Immigrant Dairy Workers in Wisconsin. Sheriff’s Office Will Try to Close Language Gaps. (2023). ProPublica. 

Southern Wisconsin Food Hub Feasibility Study (2011). Dane County Planning and Development Department. 

Task force on farmland preservation final report (2023). City of Madison Task Force on Farmland Preservation. 

Using food waste as livestock feed. (2012). University of Wisconsin-Extension Outagamie County. 

USDA Food Environment Atlas. (2025). US Department of Agriculture.

Vegetable processing pilot feasibility study.  (2019). REAP Food Group. 

Warsaw, P., & Morales, A.  Farm-to-hospital programs and public health: Leveraging local food for organizational and behavioral change. (2022). Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 11(2), 243–257.

The Wisconsin Local Food Marketing Guide. Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. 

Wisconsin tourism economic impact (2024). Travel Wisconsin. 

Zero waste (2026). City of Madison Sustainability & Resilience.