Communityfoodassessmentfinal2010

• 1. Applying communityfood assessment andeconomic development in Community Shirley Thompson, University of Manitoba.

2. Three of four major streams of food flowing to communities 1. The mainstream, market-oriented agrofoodsystem 2. The charitable food assistance network (foodbanks. 3. Nutrition safety net programming targeted at at-risk people (e.g., poor children and adults,pregnant women and nursing mothers andseniors). 3. Food Insecurity Interventions1. Social policy (healthy minimum wages, healthy social assistance rates, etc.) 2. Food & healthy policy (food charters, ACTNOW! in BC requires food security be considered by PH) 3. Community food programs CED (farmer markets, community shared agriculture (CSA), buying clubs or good food boxes, school breakfast programs, community gardens, NHFI, food co- ops, subsistence hunting subsidies, etc ). 4. Food Security Continuum UNSUSTAINABLE SUSTAINABLECharitable CommunitySustainability (food provision) (empowerment)Food banks CommunityRedesignof the Soup kitchenskitchens social, economicCommunityand politicalgardenssystem throughFarmers markets sustainable CED to enhance the local food system 5. Community Economic Development (CED), of Women and the Economy project, UN Program for Action Committee (2006). Using local resources to meet local needs while atthe same time creating healthy and economicallyviable communities.CED is about working with communities to developpositive and sustainable processes, not imposing asystem from outside the community. CED looks atall aspects of the economy, not just commercial,and is a powerful tool in working towards happy,healthy communities (UNPAC, 2006). 6. Some considerations for Community food programs 1. Production and use of local food and food services (e.g., make it, bake it, grow it) 2. Establishment of stable social enterprises that foster grassroots decision-making, active participation and long term employment for community residents. 3. Healthy and affordable food access reach of many low income people and affordable/ marketed to low income. 7. Cooking in your community with a a community food assessment (CFA) A collaborative, participatory process to examinefood issues broadly to inform change actions tomake the community more food secure by lookingat resources as well as needs. Its: Community-based Involves diverse and key participants Emphasizes community participation to empower Examines a broad range of community foodsecurity issues 8. Steps to Involve and Empower the Community Get diverse decision-makers and communityleaders talking to each other about whatsimportant food. Identify key stakeholders. Invite the community to input at a meeting. Get community to envision their communityfood system. Develop solutions that integrate quality oflife, public health, nutrition, economicdevelopment, environment, etc. 9. Community Steps for food assessment Organize Identify a group of key stakeholders Organize initial meeting(s) Determine the groups interest inconducting an assessment Identify and recruit other participants,representing diverse interests and skills 10. Research Determine appropriate research methods Collect and analyze data from existing and originalsources Summarize assessment findingsReport Develop recommendations and action plan Develop communications strategy Clearly frame and articulate the message Disseminate findings to residents and policymakersthrough meetings and materials Develop specific policy recommendations Evaluate and celebrate assessment outcomes 11. Potential Benefits of Community Food Assessments Involve and Empower the Community Engage residents in collaborative learning about food-relatedneeds and resources Build capacity for effective, collaborative action to improve thecommunity Improve Existing Programs and Create New Ones Identify gaps and potential for improvement Increase community awareness and utilization of existingresources Develop Advocacy Skills and Change Public Policy Build residents skills to organize and advocate for policy change Educate media and policymakers with compelling, research-based results Improve Access to Healthy Foods Increase availability of local, fresh produce in stores, schools, etc. Improve the selection of products available in neighborhoodstores 12. Community food systems assessments can be used to: Provide a comprehensive picture of the current state of thefood system Inform decision-making and public policy around the foodsystem Establish a long-term monitoring system with a clear set ofindicators. Improve program development and coordination Increase community awareness of and participation infood-related projects. Help articulate a vision of what needs to be done in thecommunity to set priorities and goals to improve the localfood system Build new, stronger networks, partnerships and coalitions. 13. 10 Tools for Food System Assessments 1. Using Demographic Data to Identify Vulnerable populations 1. Focus groups with food vulnerable populations 2. Food costs assessment 3. Food resource mapping 4. Participatory Food mapping 5. Rapid Market Assessment 6. Community Garden Inventory 7. Institutional assessment of local food 8. Stability and Impact of Food-related Social enterprises 9. Food miles calculation 14. Food Access Model 15. Community Groups Imagine you are starting a food assessment inyour community. In groups discuss: Would you be interested in a food assessment? If not what would make you interested? Who would you go to if you needed assistance? Who could you partner with? Who are the key stakeholders? What are some limitations and how can you overcome them?Have one person record and a different person present what you discussed. 16. Questions for stakeholders meeting: Get Cooking Whosfeeding our community and what arewe eating? How can we build a stronger communitythrough better managing local foodresources? How should our local food system look andwork in the next five years? How should our local food system work in2020? 17. Questions for Community Meetings Its a human right to have adequate anddignified access to healthful foods at alltimes. What do community members do whenthey dont have it? What are the barriers? What are the resources? What should we do? 18. Prioritizing Whatis the extent of the problem? What is the level of concern? What is the support? What is the underlying cause? What is the community vision of yourfood system future? 19. Cooking with the community: Concrete action items to meet concern around food How difficultEasy Medium HardHow important Extremely ImportantVery Important Important 20. Improve Existing Programs and Create New Ones Consider what your community needs to eathealthy. Do existing programs get you there? Improve existing programs and plans and startsome new ones that will make the change. Increase community participation in shaping thefood system. Bring new partners in. Increase community awareness and use ofexisting resources (e.g., food mail program,MAFRI training, get dieticians to help improvebreakfast/lunch program, etc.). 21. What northern community activists said: What do you need in your community to eat healthy? Need community to work together and to usepeople who know how to farm, talk to farmers andask them if they could help person to teach how tocultivate that land so that they can expand andteach others or the farmers donate / rent tillers. Wecan produce our own food and thats what we needto do. Im hearing that people need to be educated and Iagree with that, our main staple is pasta there is somuch sugar in pasta and macaroni, that is where alot of diabetes starts, we need to educate. 22. What Northern people said: What do you need in your community to eat healthy? Going back to traditional ways of living, eating offland and gardening, we have lost that and now arerecapturing it, we can teach future generations tolive off land like our ancestors. This is how we started getting chronic diseases byusing things we never used before, ancestorsgardened, smoked meat and fish etc. Elders arepassing on and are taking that knowledge withthem. 23. Projected Number of People with Diabetes MB First Nations, 1996-2016 Source:http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/publichealth/ epiunit/docs/storm.pdf 24. Northern Healthy Food InitiativePhotocredit: Manitoba Food charter 25. 26. Improve Access to Healthy Foods Increase availability of local, fresh produce in stores,schools, etc. Improve the selection of products available in the storein the community and/or start a gardeners/gatherers/crafts/baked goods/fishing/hunting market once amonth, timed with paydays Encourage traditional activities (hunting, gardening,fishing) at school and in community Get community events and school events to eathealthy 27. FoodShift and Change Public Policy Builds community members skills toorganize and advocate for policychange Start programs Educate media and policymakers withcompelling, research-based results Participatory video 28. Need to Evaluate to keep growing Keep records of participants Get participants to write their evaluation Take pictures Talk to the press Invite community members to events Have contests to find out what kind of foodis grown and how big they are growing. 29. What you said: What do you need in your community to eat healthy? Need garden, need fertilizers for gardens(fish guts from town) at least you knowwhat you are eating when you get it fromsomeone you know, ie from fishermen. Important that we are educated as to whatwe can bring to our communities, especiallywhen it comes to diabetes, to prevent it bygardens and to educate them. 30. What you said: What do you needin your community to eathealthy? Food intake that promotes health to your body inall aspects, not generic but individual to your body,not everybody has same needs for food, bodies areindividual, we digest and adapt differently , dependshow your body is, diabetes, high blood pressure,depends on individuals body. In Saskatchewan we started a good food boxprogram in Meadowlake, provides 4 types of fruits,4 veg, lentil and pasta , started with family and nowcommunities involved, buying in bulk makes itcheaper. 31. Food Security and Community food programs in Manitoba and Saskatchewan Is CED making a difference in food security? 32. Child and Health Education Program (CHEP) Good food box VISION: Community where good nutritious food is always available foreveryone no matter what their circumstances, where there is care for theenvironment, support for farmers, access to local food production, andknowledge about making healthy food choices. Karen Archibald, Executive Director of CHEP explains: Poor peoplehave less money to risk and so the CSA model wont work as if the yearsfarming failed people would lose all their food money. They need to getgood value and every week we show how much more the produce wouldcost if bought in a regular store. Delivery with respect is provided whenthere is need due to lack of transportation. The box is meant to balanceout food bank use, which is a lot of starches and no fresh fruit/vegetables. A CED approach requires that we listen respectfully and areresponsive to our members needs. 33. CHEP Buys legumes, fruits and vegetables in volume to: fill 1000-1800 good food boxes a month, community kitchens and provide 35 schools/organizations breakfast and/or lunch programs daily. Delivered bi-monthly to 75 volunteer drop-off locations,having a: $17 regular fruit and vegetable box, $12 small fruit and vegetable box, $30 organic box. $5 boxes to three aboriginal communities Mistowassis, White Cap and Beardee in the Saskatoon area; and mini stores in seniors apartments. 34. CHEP funding Income from good food box sales provides abouttwo thirds of good food box funding. The Province of Saskatchewan has granted corefunding since 1991, and now provides about$400,000 annually, almost one third of CHEPsbudget of over $1 million. Other funding comes from the City of Saskatoonand the United Way, as well as private fundraising,donations and partnerships. 35. Pay the Rent or Feed the kids? Table 1: Maximum allowable rent rates allowed by Manitoba FamilyServices on Welfare Cheque According to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporations October 2003figures, the average cost of a 2-bedroom apartment in Winnipeg was$645. Even the toilet bowl in our place had ice frozen over it and I wasgetting sick of living like thatbeing cold and running away from miceFor this house, lacking in basic sanitation and heat, Louise paid $500 permonth, $70 over her rent budget, with the extra money extracted fromher food money. I was living on $225 [for food] with 3 kids and 2 adults. Miko and Thompson, 2004. 36. Farmers Markets in Saskatchewan Year round or extended period (4-7 months in Regina andmany other locations and year round 5 days/week inSaskatoon) Premium prices enable farmers (including urban gardeners)and food producers to decent incomes. Funding and support (e.g., $30 million River LandingDevelopment funded by all levels of government and owned bySaskatoon City. 37. Farmers Markets in Manitoba -No markets operate more than 3 -4 months (14 daypermit for food vendors (& Brandon market shut down)has sent out the message that seasonal weekly marketsonly allowed.-2007/08 started to have a Manitobas farmer marketassociation.- Limited or no financial support from government. St.Norbert market infrastructure funded through St. NorbertFoundation wanting to revitalize their community. 38. Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) System linking local farm to local consumers whopurchase subscription shares of the years harvest from alocal organic farm. CSA shareholders provide the start-upcapital necessary for farmers to purchase seeds, suppliesand soil amendments and share the risks for farming (e.g.,poor harvests). EXAMPLES: Earthshare CSA (out of business in 2007) provided jobsfor refugees and immigrants and 150 boxes for 12x. Weins farm in Winnipeg -- $400 for 100 boxes, 12-14x offresh organic vegetable with work for food option. 39. The Northern Healthy Foods Initiative (NHFI) Community-based intervention funded by theprovincial government of Manitoba, which isdesigned to increase access to affordablenutritious food in Northern Manitoba communities. NHFI team includes: Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives (MAFRI) Healthy Living Manitoba Conservation Healthy Child Manitoba 40. Food security issues in Northern Manitoba High costs Decline of hunting and fishing Trading of traditional foods limited by Indian Act Freight costs High diabetes and obesity rates Treaty Land Rights Northern Store monopoly (Northern Food Prices Steering Committee, 2003; Usher, 2004, Thompson, 2006) 41. TOBEREPLACEDBY UPDATEDSLIDE 42. NIHB Expenditures In Manitoba Region by Benefit (FY 2003/2004$2.8M$48.5M $17.3M$5.6M$53.5MTotal: $127.8 M 43. Conclusion CHEP and NHFI programs provide regionalmodels of how NGOs can focus efforts on accessto healthy affordable food that reduce populationlevel food security. They benefit all BUT needsome external on-going supports/funding. Farmers markets and CSAs provide limited or nobenefit to low income consumers while being abusiness incubator and providing local, moresustainable food to middle/high income.