Advancing Equitable Local Food Policy through Community Organizing
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EmailWith support from State Partnerships Improving Nutrition and Equity (SPINE) funding, the Michigan Local Food Council Network invited councils to participate in a skill-building Policy Advocacy Learning Cohort in 2022.
East Lansing, MI — The Michigan Local Food Council Network (MLFCN), organized by the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems (MSU CRFS), continues to engage with local food councils who strive to improve their food environments at the community level. As part of the State Partnerships Improving Nutrition and Equity (SPINE) program, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services awarded $126,000 to CRFS in 2022 to expand upon this work.
“Fundamentally, it’s to support councils in their community organizing skills to address the needs of their communities through advocacy,” Liz Gensler, MLFCN Specialist and Principal Investigator for the grant, said. “This could be policy related or could take other forms.”
With support from SPINE funding, the MLFCN invited councils to participate in a skill-building Policy Advocacy Learning Cohort in 2022. This cohort offered a space for local food councils to learn from each other and to share their experiences developing campaigns. For example, the Detroit Food Policy Council (DFPC) led discussions on building grassroots advocacy campaigns and shared their perspectives for councils beginning the base building phase of their campaigns. Additional training was provided to facilitate authentic community engagement and to build out initiatives to expand their base to impacted community members. Councils from across MichiganSix councils participated in the cohort and some received small grants to fund their continued community advocacy work.
In 2023, the MLFCN intends to continue this work with participating councils, with a shift from providing whole cohort trainings to offering more individualized support and coaching. The Michigan Local Food Council Network brings together food councils to build their individual and collective capacities to work on food and food policy issues, operate effectively, and engage their communities, through peer-to-peer learning.
SPINE is a program operated by the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors who in turn partner with statewide health departments to address food and nutrition security, as well as health equity. Michigan is one of nine states to participate in this program.
For more information about the Michigan Local Food Council network, learn more here: https://www.canr.msu.edu/local_food_council_network/
Additional support for the Michigan Local Food Council Network is provided by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
The Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems advances regionally-rooted food systems through applied research, education, and outreach by uniting the knowledge and experience of diverse stakeholders with that of MSU faculty and staff. Our work fosters a thriving economy, equity, and sustainability for Michigan, the nation, and the planet by advancing systems that produce food that is healthy, green, fair, and affordable. Learn more at foodsystems.msu.edu and connect on Twitter and Facebook: @MSUCRFS.
