food systems planning

Faces of Food Systems: Alex Narrajos

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Current Role: Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Program Manager – City and County of Honolulu, HI

What’s your favorite food?

Sinigang Soup

What do you enjoy about your work?

Supporting my community.

What do you find challenging about your work?

Navigating politics and government bureaucracy.

What areas of the food system do you encounter or focus on in your work? Where does food fit in with the rest of the work that you do?

As a food system planner I focus on all parts of the local food system, but most heavily on production, processing, and distribution. Most recently I’ve focused on public access to food growing spaces, increasing local food purchasing and distribution, and disaster resilience and response.

Do you consider yourself a food systems planner? Why or why not? 

Yes, I am a Planner VI in classification and have a masters in Urban and Regional Planning.

What is the biggest food systems planning-related hurdle your community/organization faced in recent years and how was it dealt with?

In Hawai’i, we import more than 90% of our foods, which both causes and is exacerbated by food systems weakness in the face of climate change and disasters, high food costs, high labor and input costs, and westernization of diet and culture. While there has been increasing support of local farms and producers, this hurdle is perpetual and is the wicked problem for food systems planners in Hawai’i.

What makes you successful in your work? What skills do you use the most in your food systems planning-related work?

Working as a farmer and in the non profit sector before joining the local government has made me successful because I am able to approach the work from a community member mindset (i.e., bottom up versus top down). I am also able to remain calm during chaos and can be flexible as our food system needs evolve.

Who has had the most influence on you as a planner? As a food systems planner?

My advisor, Dr. Subhashni Raj has been such a positive influence on me as a planner and community member.

What do you wish you would have known before going to planning school?

I was recently diagnosed with ADHD which would have been useful to know before becoming a master’s student – I’ve never been good at reading academic articles and I think I could have used coping mechanisms to make reading less painful for me! I also wish I would have had a stronger understanding of statistics and micro economics as I didn’t realize they would have such a presence in my master’s program!

How has your perception of food systems planning changed since you first entered the planning field?

I always knew it was a complicated field, but as I’m in it I am realizing how much more nuanced it really is.

Do you have any advice for someone entering the food systems planning field? 

My advice for someone entering the food systems planning field would be to immerse themselves in as many pieces of the food system as possible before becoming a planner. Being able to recall experiences and utilize my networks as a planner now has been instrumental to my interest and success.

Faces of Food Systems: Sebas Waldvogel

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Name: Sebas Waldvogel – newly elected treasurer for APA FOOD. Sebas fills us in on supporting food systems advocacy with daily work as a municipal land use planner.

Current Role: Associate Planner – City of Fife, WA

What’s your favorite food?

These days I’m really working on making my best bagel. Maybe I’m just too tired (or lazy) to cook something more complex, but I really enjoy seeing how something simple can be elevated with a few additions.

What do you enjoy about your work?

It’s a little mix of everything! I’m a municipal planner, so I get to work on long range plans, regional projects, as well as permit review for current projects. It’s a great way to get a holistic look at development and policy in your jurisdictions. While maybe not the most exciting, I encourage everyone to look into their jurisdictions permitting process- from how your health department conducts food safety inspections to what types of restaurants are allowed within certain zoning designations.

What do you find challenging about your work?

More so the permitting side of things. My role is less of a food systems advocate and more of a food systems regulator. I work hand in hand with our building official, which has opened my eyes to the physical infrastructure requirements of food systems in urban areas. I think food is always in the room for the work I do, however it isn’t typically the focus.

Do you consider yourself a food systems planner? Why or why not? 

Absolutely not. I wish I could, but I know I am a land use planner. What I do consider myself is a food systems advocate- land use planners have the potential to either support or condemn their local food systems, and the impacts to these local networks are something that we are making sure to acknowledge as we update our municipal code.

What is the biggest food systems planning-related hurdle your community faced in recent years and how was it dealt with?
We’re a pretty small city, dominated by industrial land uses and divided by freeways. We lost our grocery store in the early 2000s, and it became a common topic with our residents. We as a municipality were able to enter into a development agreement that allowed an existing business to expand their operations, in part by opening up a grocery store component of their new development. What has resulted is a Ukrainian Market, complete with a cafe that has quickly become one of the most popular attractions in the city. I think a lot of jurisdictions feel that they are victim to the market in terms of locating grocers, but we have more power than we think.

What makes you successful in your work? What skills do you use the most in your food systems planning-related work?

Beyond the baseline data analysis and GIS skills, I’ve found authenticity to be critical to success. Residents know when you’re rattling off prepared responses, and a project being run by a consultant with a city logo on it doesn’t land the same with residents. By establishing genuine connections with residents and local agencies, you are rewarded with direct and candid feedback. It may not always be what you want to hear, but it starts the dialogue centered around genuine thoughts and experiences.

Who has had the most influence on you as a planner? As a food systems planner?

I come from a long line of failed farmers. Going back generations, Waldvogel’s have tried to farm and have been incredibly bad at it. What resulted? A long line of agriculture supporting roles- a milk tanker driver, a farmland appraiser, an agricultural economist. This helped teach me that you don’t have to do something to support something. I can support food systems as a land use planner. While I have had many influential professors throughout my time at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, what has continued to inspire me as a planner and as a food systems advocate is the reminder that I don’t have to be in it to support it.

What do you wish you would have known before going to planning school?

Permitting. I know I sound like a broken record, but the permitting system is complicated and is a barrier for a lot of people. Transparency with the permitting process and having a general knowledge of these requirements has allowed me to be a better advocate for our residents. It’s easy to write policy and develop a proposal, it’s a lot harder to figure out how that actually gets approved through the existing regulatory processes.

How has your perception of food systems planning changed since you first entered the planning field?

I came from an agriculture background, and a lot of what I knew going into planning was centered around the producers. Recentering my concept of food systems on ease of access, access to programs, access to restaurants and grocers, access to information. That being said, I am a full time land use planner, so I am constantly learning from specialized planners across transportation, food systems, and housing.

Do you have any advice for someone entering the food systems planning field? 

Ask questions! Of everyone. I’ve learned more about building code than I ever thought possible, and while I won’t lie and say it’s thrilling information, it has made me a better planner. Chances are most people’s work intersects with food in some way- all you have to do is ask about it.

Faces of Food Systems: Hunter Heaivilin

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Hunter Heaivilin headshot

Job: Hunter Heaivilin is a Food Systems Planner with fifteen years of experience working with community, non-profit, and government clients. Hunter specializes in data driven policy and planning and consults through his firm Supersistence. His education and work has grown from ecosystem management (AS) to sustainable community development (BA) and urban planning (MURP). As a Phd Candidate in the Department of Geography & Environment at UH Manoa he researches disruptions and resilience in Hawaii’s food system over the 20th century.

  1. What’s your favorite food?

Most anything with coconut milk. Fat from a tree is pretty hard to beat.

  1. What do you enjoy about your work?

In my work I engage with multiple networks, I relish the opportunity to understand food system issues from various lenses frames like that of producers, aggregators, advocates, and politicians.

  1. Similarly, what do you find challenging about your work?

Relatedly, straddling between these different perspectives and translating across stakeholder groups is a unique but engaging challenge.

  1. What areas of the food system do you focus on in your work, and where does that fit in with the rest of the work that you do?

One thread of my work focuses on data analysis and visualization for stakeholder decision support, another thread focused on local policy. These both fit into my overall interest in progressing towards a more deliberative democracy. Increasingly I approach community planning and agrofood systems work as opportunities for stakeholder driven process determination, embracing radically democratic approaches to normalize public-government interaction beyond just token input or reductive voting. As hope in this is that as civil society pursues more democratic processes that the same will be demanded of our legal governance systems.

  1. Do you consider yourself a food systems planner? Why or why not?

Yes! I work across the value chain, from agricultural land planning to market analysis to community food access.

  1. What is the biggest food systems planning-related hurdle your community/organization faced in recent years and how was it dealt with?

Addressing household food insecurity resulting from COVID-19 has been a major focus across the state. I’ve been fortunate to work with the food banks and Food Access Coordinators in each county to support their analysis and planning efforts.

  1. How has your perception of food systems planning changed since you first entered the planning field?

I think my perspective has shifted from working in the food system to working on the food system.

  1. Who has had the most influence on you as a planner? As a food systems planner?

Over the years I’ve lucked into working with John Whalen, FAICP here in Hawaii. His deliberative and considered approach to wrangling wicked problems has inspired me to seek understanding before resolution.

  1. Do you have any advice for someone entering the food systems planning field?

Facilitation and network weaving skills are ones that I did not pick up in graduate school, but I have found invaluable in navigating the complexities of community facing food systems work. Contrastingly, having a facility with quantitative data has often been an entry point into various projects that is more readily understood by funders or associated with concrete deliverables. Filling your toolbox with soft skills and technical capacities, I find, helps to keep from getting too lost in the clouds or the details.

  1. What do you wish you would have known before going to planning school?

I wish I had known that food systems planning was a distinct area of study and practice. While my planning program was a great experience and I learned a lot, none of the professors were focused on the food systems planning field at the time. This made it crucial to seek out mentors and networks within the planning community that touch on food systems.

11. How do you think COVID 19 will shape/change your job/food systems?


The pandemic highlighted existing vulnerabilities and inequities within the food system, such as supply chain disruptions and unequal access to healthy food. As a result, there has been increased attention and resources devoted to strengthening resilience and addressing equity. Additionally, the pandemic led to changes in the ways that food is distributed and consumed, such as an increased reliance on online ordering and home delivery. While the pandemic presented significant challenges to the food system, it also created opportunities to address long-standing issues and pursue positive change. As the pandemic and associated funded ebb however, we will have to work to ensure that we did not just have change within the food system, but can achieve food systems change.

Why Food Deserves More Attention in Reversing Climate Change

Kara Martin Leave a comment

By Trevor McCoy

Our global food system carries a substantial carbon footprint, but you might not know that if you aren’t a climate scientist. While calculating exactly how much carbon is emitted by the entire food system would be impossibly complicated, experts have created emissions estimates for different sections of our food system, especially food’s greatest source of carbon emissions, agriculture.

In 2014, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an international group of scientists and experts that produces reports on climate change for the United Nations, listed Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) as contributing 24% of our global carbon emissions.1 By comparison, the IPCC calculated that all of land, sea, and air transportation combined represent 14% of global emissions.

It is already difficult to fully understand the process that takes place when exhaust from a car’s tailpipe makes its way into the atmosphere and affects our climate, but it is even more complex to understand how something like agriculture or forestry could contribute to global warming. Figure 1 breaks down AFOLU into its components, illustrating their contributions to climate change.

Figure 1

The IPCC has broken up AFOLU’s carbon footprint into 11 major sections. Although this graph can seem complicated, with a little guidance it is easy to understand. Let’s start by looking at the big yellow section, “Enteric Fermentation.” Although enteric fermentation might be a foreign concept, it’s just the way certain animals like cows or sheep (known as ruminants) digest their food, which is a process that is very different from the way humans digest food. These animals produce significant amounts of methane (CH4), a greenhouse gas that has substantial warming properties and is much more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2).

Although an individual cow has an inconsequentially small carbon footprint, according to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) there are more than 1.4 billion cows in the world.2 In fact, the FAO estimates that the livestock industry is responsible for nearly 15% of humanity’s yearly carbon footprint, and cows produce approximately 65% of livestock emissions.3

I won’t go into detail on every aspect of AFOLU, but most components can simply be summarized as soil and nutrient management. However, the biggest section, “Land Use Change and Forestry,” is worth fully dissecting. This block is calculated from a wide number of different land use changes, but you can basically think of it as deforestation. Forests are incredible carbon banks, able to store several tons of carbon in every tree. So, when people remove a section of forest with the slash and burn technique, we are releasing this carbon into the atmosphere.

Most people have already heard that deforestation is bad for the planet, but what does this have to do with food? You might find it disheartening to learn that scientists from REDD, an organization established through the United Nations to protect the Earth’s forests from deforestation and degradation, have named agriculture as the most important driver of global deforestation.4

In the 10,000 years since we first began digging in the dirt, we have driven the cultivation of food to an unprecedented scale. Earth’s land surface is approximately 15 billion hectares, of which 4.5 billion are either glaciers or deserts, leaving about 10.5 billion hectares of “habitable land.”5 Since 8000 BCE, humans have converted roughly 5 billion hectares of this natural land to agricultural use, and 4 billion hectares of that land was transformed in just the last 300 years. To put it simply, in a very short amount of time we have converted about half of the world’s habitable land from natural ecosystems to agriculture. Changes to the Earth’s surface at this scale have consequences, especially when it comes to climate change. Figures 2 and 3 illustrate just how significantly we have changed the Earth in such a short amount of time.

Figure 2

Figure 3

 

Unfortunately, food’s role in climate change doesn’t stop at agriculture. AFOLU’s carbon footprint considers the greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and land use change, but this is only the very first step of the food system. After we have grown our food, it will need to be transported, processed, refrigerated, cooked, and we will need to dispose of any food waste created along the way. The FAO estimates that food waste alone produces 8% of our yearly global carbon emissions.6 Every step of our current food system, from agriculture to waste disposal, releases billions of tons of carbon into our atmosphere, making food’s role in global warming one that we cannot afford to ignore.

While there are numerous climate activism campaigns encouraging citizens to turn off the lights, drive less, or install solar panels, food does not receive enough attention in the United States. While some cities and organizations are calling specific attention to the importance of food’s carbon footprint, many Americans have never been introduced to this information. However, projects like Drawdown – “The most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming” – have been working to spread information about food systems as one the most important sectors in the fight against climate change. In fact, 8 of Drawdown’s top 20 solutions to reverse global warming are specifically in the food sector, and most of the other 12 indirectly involve food systems.7 Even Drawdown’s number one solution to reverse global warming, Refrigerant Management, is primarily a materials problem, but also an integral piece of our modern food system.

For humans to win the fight against climate change, we will need to rethink and rebuild every sector of our society. If we are going to continue to thrive as a species despite the changes that our planet is undergoing, we must give food more attention.

 

Sources

  1. Smith P., M. Bustamante, H. Ahammad, H. Clark, H. Dong, E.A. Elsiddig, H. Haberl, R. Harper, J. House, M. Jafari, O. Masera, C. Mbow, N.H. Ravindranath, C.W. Rice, C. Robledo Abad, A. Romanovskaya, F. Sperling, and F. Tubiello, 2014: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU). In: Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Edenhofer, O., R. Pichs-Madruga, Y. Sokona, E. Farahani, S. Kadner, K. Seyboth, A. Adler, I. Baum, S. Brunner, P. Eickemeier, B. Kriemann, J. Savolainen, S. Schlömer, C. von Stechow, T. Zwickel and J.C. Minx (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. Retrieved from: https://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/wg3/ipcc_wg3_ar5_chapter11.pdf
  2. Tayyibb, S. (2010). Stastistical Yearbook of the Food And Agricultural Organization for the United Nations. Retrieved from: http://www.fao.org/docrep/017/i3138e/i3138e07.pdf
  3. Gerber, P.J., Steinfeld, H., Henderson, B., Mottet, A., Opio, C., Dijkman, J., Falcucci, A. & Tempio, G. 2013. Tackling climate change through livestock – A global assessment of emissions and mitigation opportunities. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome. Retrieved from: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3437e.pdf
  4. Kissinger, G., M. Herold, V. De Sy. Drivers of Deforestation and Forest Degradation: A Synthesis Report for REDD+ Policymakers. Lexeme Consulting, Vancouver Canada, August 2012.Retrieved from: https://www.forestcarbonpartnership.org/sites/fcp/files/DriversOfDeforestation.pdf_N_S.pdf
  5. Max Roser and Hannah Ritchie (2018) – “Yields and Land Use in Agriculture”. Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: https://ourworldindata.org/yields-and-land-use-in-agriculture
  6. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). (2011). Food Wastage Footprint & Climate Change. Retrieved from: http://www.fao.org/3/a-bb144e.pdf
  7. (2017). Food Sector Summary. Retrieved from: https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/food

 

 

 

 

Signatures needed for a petition to become an APA Division

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apa-figlogo-1102.png

In October and November, 173 APA-FIG members completed our online survey to gauge interest in pursuing Division status. About 94% of respondents think APA-FIG should become an official Division of the APA.

Based on this feedback, the APA-FIG Leadership Committee is pursuing status as an APA Division. The next step to making this happen is completing APA’s official petition: https://planning.org/divisions/groups/food/petition/.

To support this effort, please indicate your commitment to joining the proposed Division by signing this petition (note: you must be an APA member to sign the petition). We will need 300 signatures.

Please spread the word and help us make this happen.

Thanks,

APA-FIG Leadership Committee

 

Growing Local: Strengthening Food Systems Through Planning and Policy

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DSC_0770

Local governments are becoming increasingly involved in planning and policy making for community food systems, both as leaders and as partners with the private sector. Often responding to community pressure, in some cases they are the driving force, motivated by a desire to strengthen local economies, improve food security and nutritional outcomes, and to support agriculture and preserve farmland…

For the entire blog post, check out the American Planning Association’s website here.

APA FIG Reception in NYC

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On behalf of the APA-FIG Leadership Committee, we would like to invite you to the annual networking reception in New York City on Monday, May 8, 2017. This year, we will be hosting a joint reception with the APA Healthy Communities Collaborative. We hope to see you in NYC!

APA-FIG-HCC_NPCReception2017

National Planning Conference NYC 2017

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NYC-LIC

Don’t forget to register for one of the biggest National Planning Conferences! Registration rates increase starting March 3!

The APA-FIG Leadership Committee hopes to see you in New York City this May. Check out all the exciting food systems planning related events and sessions (16 in total!), including the APA-FIG Business Meeting and Annual Networking Reception. We look forward to seeing many of you at the conference!

 

Hudson Valley Local Agriculture and Foodshed | Friday, May 5, 2017 | 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. | https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9107838/

Gotham West Market, Housing & Community Development Division Lunch Reception | Saturday, May 6, 2017 | noon – 1 p.m. |  https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9116698/

Modern Food Hall: Redevelopment Aid or Trend | Saturday, May 6, 2017 | 1 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. | https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9107948/

Incentivizing the Sale of Healthy and Local Food | Saturday, May 6, 2017 | 2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. | https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9109374/

City Food Policy Advisors Kick Plans into Action | Saturday, May 6, 2017 | 4 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. | https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9109407/

Food Systems Planning: Growing Connections and Planning for Health Across the Country | Sunday, May 7, 2017 | 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m |  https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9109370/

The Resiliency of NYC Supply Chains | Sunday, May 7, 2017 | 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. | https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9107863/

Developing Vermont’s Food System through Planning | Sunday, May 7, 2017 | 2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. | https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9110279/

Safe, Active Routes to Healthy Food | Monday, May 8, 2017 | 9 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. | https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9109887/

Food as Community Development | Monday, May 8, 2017 | 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. | https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9110192/

Big City Planning Directors on Equitable Redevelopment and Food Access | Monday, May 8, 2017 | 2:45 p.m. – 4 p.m. | https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9109372/

Faces of Food Systems Planning | Monday, May 8, 2017 | 4:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. | https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9108203/

Food Systems Planning Interest Group Business Meeting | Monday, May 8, 2017 | 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. | https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9116909/

Joint Food Systems Planning Interest Group and Healthy Communities Collaborative Reception | Monday, May 8, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. | Porchlight 271 11th Avenue, NY, NY | https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9116911/

Planning for Healthy Rural-Urban Communities | Tuesday, May 9, 2017 | 8 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. | https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9109618/

Serving Up Health Equity Southern Style | Tuesday, May 9, 2017 | 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9109531/

 

Sessions Due: APA National Planning Conference – New York City 2017

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NYC-LIC

Community garden in Long Island City, NY. Photo by Kimberley Hodgson.

The next APA National Planning Conference will take place May 6-9, 2017 in New York City. APA-FIG is busy planning some unique sessions and networking events!

If you haven’t already, consider submitting a food systems planning related session proposal. Because of its location, this conference should draw a big crowd, and we would love to see a robust number of food systems planning sessions in the program. The deadline for proposal submissions is August 25, 2016.

If you need some inspiration, consider some of these session ideas:

  • Role of technology in food systems planning
  • Role of local food businesses in the local creative economy
  • Planning for food waste and its impact on sustainability goals
  • Role of the planner in food policy councils
  • Using Collective Impact for food systems planning and implementation
  • Role of state and regional planning efforts for local food systems

Also, if you are looking to join forces with other APA-FIG members or have a neat idea for a session, post a message on the APA-FIG Facebook page, LinkedIn page, or Twitter feed.

And last, but not least, APA-FIG is looking for sponsors for the annual network event. If you work for an organization that may be interested, please let me know.

We look forward to seeing you in New York City.

University of Kansas Planning Students Partner with Wyandotte County on Food Policy Assistance

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In Spring 2016, the University of Kansas Urban Planning Department and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas partnered together to develop three options for integrating food access and food production into the current City Wide Master Plan. The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas is a prime example of a community poised for practical, fresh food production and access policies. Healthy Communities Wyandotte (HCW), a health-focused countywide initiative, is an example of this sort of innovation. Through the work of numerous action teams, HCW works to mobilize community members to improve health, as Wyandotte County once again received the lowest health rating in the State of Kansas in 2016. Wyandotte County was recently selected to receive food systems policy and program training and assistance from Growing Food Connections to further their health initiatives. Healthy Food Happy County serves as a supplemental policy document, as directed by Growing Food Connections, that explores the viability of food systems policies within Wyandotte County.