The eXtension Community, Local & Regional Food Systems (CLRFS) Community of Practice (CoP) hosted a Food Security Conference September 29 – October 1, 2014 in Cleveland, Ohio, entitled Building Extension Capacity to Address Community Food Security through Food Systems. The conference aimed to address critical issues for Extension Educators, University researchers, and community based practitioners in community food systems work, and explored how these issues influence the application of Extension work to alleviating food insecurity.
Sessions included:
* Tour of Urban food system& farming sites in Cleveland, Ohio
* Undoing Racism Training offered by ‘The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond’
* Working session on identifying core competencies and skill areas for Food System Educators/Extension Professionals
* Poster session
* Alignment of University research on food systems with community needs
* Fostering understanding of the connections between local and regional food systems and community food security
* Building the capacity of the eXtension Community, Local & Regional Food Systems Community of Practice
* Evaluating our own efforts and building our capacity to facilitate difficult conversations about race in food systems.
Goals and Objectives of the conference
The goal of the conference was to concretely position food security as a priority in food system research and practice, and to enhance Extension’s capacity to work on food security and food systems. Components:
- Build Extension’s capacity to be a key player in the development of community, local and regional food systems.
- Develop a strategy to align University applied research on food systems with community needs.
- Foster understanding of the connections between local and regional food systems and community food security.
- Identify strategies for the CLRFS eCoP to build capacity for Extension colleagues.
Publications from the Conference
For more information regarding the conference, please contact Brian Raison – raison.1[at symbol]osu.edu
The Community, Local & Regional Food Systems (CLRFS) CoP provides resource materials, training opportunities and collegial interaction for Extension Educators, community-based practitioners, and individuals involved in work related to building sustainable and equitable food systems.
