Community Food Security Programs: What Do They Look Like?

Examples of Community Food Security Activities

CFS activities are integrative in nature and usually encompass multiple goals and activities. Some of the key types of activities are listed below. Such activities often would be pursued within a broader framework such as making nutritious food more accessible to low-income people and/or building a stronger local or regional food system.

Community Food Security Programs typically strive to:

• Meet the food needs of everyone, including people with low-incomes
• Promote good nutrition and health
• Revitalize local communities and build self-reliance
• Encourage community economic development and entrepreneurship
• Link farmers and consumers and support local and regional producers
• Support sustainable agricultural practices and family-scale farming
• Promote sustainable livelihoods and good working conditions for farmers and food system workers
• Honor and celebrate diverse cultures and traditions

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): is a system that connects consumers and growers in a mutually beneficial relationship. Consumers purchase a share in a growers' harvest at the beginning of each season and then share the risk and bounty of farming with their grower. Farmers then provide a weekly harvest that is distributed to the CSA's shareholders. Consumers benefit by receiving fresh, high-quality products and learning about new and seasonal foods and sustainable agriculture. Farmers benefit from the secure market for their crops, and both parties benefit from having a more personal connection with each other.

There are many different types of CSA's. A CSA that wishes to strengthen their community food security approach may include the following strategies:

• Provisions to make it more accessible to low-income share holders, such as targeted outreach, sliding-scale fees, a donation process, working shares, and/or payment plans.
• Educational programs on sustainable agriculture, nutrition, and/or food preparation.
• Farm events and work days that create opportunities for community building and skill development.
• Feedback loops to incorporate shareholders' ideas into the farm planning.
• Donations of extra produce to programs that feed the hungry.

Farmers' Markets: Farmers' markets provide consumers a local place to gather, meet farmers and purchase a variety of food and food products. Their popularity has been growing rapidly the U.S., with the number of markets increasing by almost 80% over eight years, to 3,100 markets in 2002. Farmers' markets that are working to strengthen their community food security approach may include the following strategies:

• A program to accept Woman, Infant & Children coupons and/or Food Stamps.
• Markets located in areas where access to fresh, affordable produce is limited.
• Guidelines ensuring that products at the market are locally or regionally produced.
• A gleaning program that gives farmers an opportunity to donate excess produce to feed the hungry.
• Educational activities that provide information on food preparation, agricultural practices, nutrition and other topics.
• Opportunities for consumers and farmers to share ideas and concerns about the market's operation.

Community Gardens: Community gardens are places where neighbors gather to grow food and plants together. Such gardens provide healthful, fresh produce, urban greening and an opportunity for neighbors to get to know each other and improve their community. They can involve reclaiming vacant land and help renew blighted neighborhoods. Gardens that are working to strengthen their community food security approach may include the following strategies:

• Efforts to target or include low-income residents.
• Inclusion of neighbors of various ages, races and ethnic backgrounds.
• A democratic organization that allows gardeners to make decisions about garden management.
• Opportunities to gather for community and family events.
• Education on organic and sustainable gardening practices.
• Opportunities for gardeners to market their produce through a local farmer's market.
• Opportunities to donate produce to the hungry.

Farm to Cafeteria: Farm to Cafeteria programs are becoming increasingly popular among schools, colleges, and other institutions. They focus on creating direct links between growers and institutions in order to increase the amount of fresh, locally or regionally grown products used in the cafeterias and to provide a reliable source of income for family farms. Farm to cafeteria programs that are working to strengthen their community food security approach may include the following strategies:

• Efforts to target schools or institutions that serve low-income people.
• A parent or student organization that provides leadership and assistance to the program.
• Guidelines to purchase their produce from local and/or sustainable growers.
• Links with grower cooperatives and family-scale farmers.
• Educational programs that help students learn about nutrition, cooking, gardening and where their sources of food.

Community Food Assessments: A Community Food Assessment is a participatory and collaborative process that examines a broad range of food-related issues and resources in order to inform actions to improve the community's food system. Through such assessments, a diverse group of stakeholders work together to research their local food system, to strategically communicate their findings, and to implement changes based on their findings. Community food assessments that are working to strengthen their community food security approach may include the following strategies:

• A participatory process that involves diverse stakeholders in planning and implementing the assessment, including community residents.
• An emphasis on shared leadership and collaborative decision-making.
• Education and empowerment strategies like training young people in survey methods.
• A focus on meeting the needs of low-income and other marginalized populations.
• A broad, food systems perspective that examines a variety of issues and the connections between them.
• An emphasis on generating specific recommendations and actions aimed at improving the local food system.

Food Policy Councils and Related Initiatives: A food policy council is a group of stakeholders who advise a city, county, or state government on policies related to agriculture, food distribution and access, hunger, and nutrition. They perform a variety of tasks, from researching food production and access issues, to designing and implementing projects and policies to address those issues. Such councils provide an effective forum for diverse stakeholders to work together to create positive changes in their food system.

Food policy councils that are working to strengthen their community food security approach may include the following strategies:

• Diverse representation from various community members.
• Collaborative decision making processes.
• A food system perspective that leads to integrated approaches to local issues.
• A focus on addressing the needs of low-income and marginalized communities.

Community Economic Development: Community economic development initiatives include projects that give people the opportunity to start or enhance food-related small businesses and cottage industries, as well as efforts to bring supermarkets to underserved areas. Entrepreneurial projects that are working to strengthen their community food security approach may include the following strategies:

• Initiatives that target job creation for people in low-income communities.
• A focus on businesses that use locally, regionally- and/or sustainably grown foods and that market products locally or regionally.
• An emphasis on nutritious food products and/or products for ethnic and specialty markets.
• A youth element that builds young people's job skills while giving them work experience.

Youth Programs: The principles of community food security support an appreciation for individual gifts and talents. This is especially true with youth, whose contributions and capabilities are often overlooked. Community food security programs of various types (farmers markets, community gardens, CSA's, etc.) often include a youth aspect to their programs. These youth projects may include:

• Apprenticeship opportunities for youth to learn valuable job training skills and to earn an income.
• Youth leadership programs.
• Community building activities that encourage youth to share feelings and perceptions with their peers and with adults in the programs.
• Youth volunteer opportunities.

Updated 6/2007