The Hudson Valley Food System Coalition is among 11 councils selected to participate in a nationwide community of practice to advance regional approaches to food system policy, Hudson Valley, NY.
December 9, 2022
The Hudson Valley Food System Coalition (HVFSC) has been selected to participate in a community of practice focused on regional food systems development. After a thorough review of over 50 applications by a team of project organizers, 11 food policy councils from across the country were selected for the 18-month project, reflecting a diversity of approaches to regional food systems work. Regional food policy councils are collaborative groups that seek to address food-related issues across county and/or state boundaries. As part of this community, the Hudson Valley Food System Coalition will help guide research and the creation of resources to support other councils in taking regional approaches to food system development.
The community of practice is a central part of a cooperative research project being led by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA AMS), Ohio State University, the John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, and Colorado State University that aims to better understand regional approaches to strengthening food systems. Regional food policy work has emerged as a promising approach to developing equitable, sustainable, and vibrant food and agriculture systems. Yet, there is a need for more resources and information to support the work of food system practitioners working at this scale.
“A more competitive, fair and resilient food system requires investment in regional supply chains, and food policy councils can play a critical role building bridges between rural communities and consumer markets,” said Tricia Kovacs, Deputy Administrator of the Transportation and Marketing Program of USDA-AMS.
The Hudson Valley Food System Coalition will be represented in the council by Sarah Salem, Mary Ann Johnson, and Megan Larmer.
“I am so excited to be a part of this Community of Practice for the opportunity to learn from the other participants and facilitators, to lend insights from our organizing, and to work with my colleagues to distill what we glean toward the development of our network and to a more regenerative and equitable Hudson Valley foodshed. The Hudson Valley Food System Coalition is proud to act as a representative of our regional food system as a contributor to this incredible effort to bolster regional food systems investments,” said Sarah Salem, Co-Founder and Director of the Hudson Valley Food System Coalition.
“Changing our food system to be fairer and more equitable is a complex challenge and I am excited to learn from our colleagues around the country through this opportunity,” said Mary Ann Johnson, Co-facilitator of the HVFSC and Deputy Director of the Hudson Valley AgriBusiness Development Corporation (HVADC). She continued, “And I hope to share some aspect of the Hudson Valley Food System Coalition that will resonate with the others.”
"I am thrilled to be a part of this community of practice. The Hudson Valley Food System Coalition is at a critical inflection point in our development. Learning about challenges and best practices from leaders in this arena from across the nation will help us to navigate this moment gracefully as we lay a solid foundation and ambitious vision for our next phase of organizing," said Megan Larmer, Co-facilitator of the HVFSC and Senior Director of Regional Food Programs at Glynwood.
In addition to the Hudson Valley Food System Coalition, the community of practice will include representatives from the Boston Food Access Council (MA), Cass Clay Food Partners (ND/MN), Columbia Gorge Food Security Coalition (OR/WA), Food Policy Council for Fresno County (CA), Greater Cincinnati Regional Food Policy Council (OH), Just Foods Collaborative of Nash and Edgecombe Counties (NC), Metropolitan Washington Food Policy Directors/Food Security Coordinators Work Group (DC, MD, VA), Northwest Indiana Food Council (IN), Roanoke Foodshed Network (VA), and Western Prairie Food, Farm, and Community Alliance (KS).
For more information on this project, visit https://localfoodeconomics.com/regional-fpc/.
For more information on the Hudson Valley Food System Coalition, visit www.hvfoodsystem.org.
Sarah Salem, Co-Founder/Director of the Hudson Valley Food System, is a network leader and freelance food systems strategy consultant specializing in regional food security strategy, food systems thinking, and equitable food systems network development. Salem works with individuals, organizations, and coalitions to strengthen regional food systems by developing strategies to expand the availability of regional foods through communities, planning and leading food systems partners through participatory convenings, educating partners about food system policies, and by building trusting relationships among food system stakeholders. As the founder of the Hudson Valley Food System Coalition, Salem brought together more than 100 food system stakeholders and guided them through the development of a regional transdisciplinary coalition to work across sectors. Previously, Salem was the Director of Development and Strategic Initiatives at Dutchess Outreach, their region’s widest-reaching food access organization. In that role Salem was the primary fundraiser for the organization and worked to develop innovative food access programs including a sliding-scale Mobile Farmers’ Market.
Mary Ann Johnson serves as Deputy Directory of the Hudson Valley AgriBusiness Development Corporation (HVADC), the Hudson Valley’s sole economic development agency with a specific focus on the viability of the agricultural economy in the Hudson Valley. It assists both new and existing agri-businesses such as farms, food businesses and food distributors, by providing technical and business assistance, consultation and resources. HVADC’s programs include Incubator Without Walls (Business Technical Assistance), the Hudson Valley Agribusiness Loan Fund (providing access to capital for small agribusinesses that otherwise may face limited opportunities for funding), FeedHV (a community food rescue network), the Farm & Food Funding Accelerator Program (intensive mentoring programing for farms and food entrepreneurs preparing to scale their business), the Hudson Valley Bounty (a consumer-facing portal promoting Hudson Valley farms and food producers) and a variety of other programs. The non-profit promotes balanced, market-based solutions that lead to enhanced agricultural entrepreneurship, rural economic growth and community enhancement. Johnson’s primary focus is the improvement of the economic viability of farmers and food producers throughout the eight-county coverage of HVADC programs. She was selected to participate in the community of practice based on her experience as a regional planner and her strong commitment and connection to farmers.
Megan Larmer serves as co-facilitator of the Hudson Valley CSA Coalition. This work includes supporting meetings of interest groups, coalition-wide events, and working with the facilitation team and director to set strategic goals for the Coalition. She was selected for participation in the Coalition at this level because of her breadth of knowledge and experience in food systems work and as a representative of the Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming, where she is the Senior Director of Regional Food Programs.
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Sarah Salem
