Growing a Community Food System
1999
This publication presents the practical steps and processes communities interested in building a community food system need to take in order to be successful. It describes how to establish strong coalitions, and how to plan strategically. The authors outline key components of the process including: visioning, community food system assessment, development of project concepts, and evaluation planning. The authors discuss in detail various aspects of project implementation, including education, entrepreneurism, policy and celebration. They also address evaluation and how to integrate different kinds of evaluation and reflection into the project design and implementation. Included are in-depth descriptions of two community food system project models—The Tahoma Food System (based in Pierce County, Washington) and PlacerGROWN (based in Placer County, California)—as examples of how two communities are meeting the needs of their citizens. The authors conclude with a summary of the key lessons they have learned and have found particularly helpful for community groups as they have initiated and sustained these efforts.
This publication is part of the circular series Community Ventures: Partnerships in Education and Research, Western Regional Extension Publication in Cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington State University. The publication number is WREP0135. Authors: Steven Garrett (Washington State University) and Gail Feenstra (UC SAREP). Price: $2.50