Abstract
Drawing data from comparative case studies of 10 California food policy councils (FPCs), this paper describes the nature of the relationships between local governments and FPCs and examines how these relationships support policy-related activities and food systems change. We focus our comparisons on distinct organizational structures, resource flows, and policy activities. All but one of the 10 councils is organized as a multisector community collaborative, rather than as an independent nonprofit organization or a government advisory body. Each includes local government personnel as members and most depend on government resources for their operations, including meeting spaces, facilitation, information, and/or direct funding. All 10 councils feature regular meetings at which information is shared to build awareness, relationships, and trust, all of which can indirectly shape policy agendas and initiatives. This policy relevant work is feasible even for small councils with few resources. FPC leaders can also seize opportunities by considering the stages of the policy process they hope to influence, the types of policy issues they wish to address, the time frame it may take to realize different types of policy goals, and the degree to which they will seek incremental or more fundamental changes. We find that structural autonomy—being organized outside of the government while maintaining strong collaborations with the government—helps food policy councils retain their independence while promoting more inclusive policy making processes that link community members to the government. See the press release for this article.
Highlights
A broad and diverse network of civically engaged groups and individuals are working locally to improve food system outcomes
Drawing data from comparative case studies of 10 California FPCs, this paper describes the nature of the relationships between local governments and food policy councils and examines how these relationships support policyrelated activities and food systems change
We focus on three topics introduced in previous literature: (1) structural form and location vis-à-vis local government; (2) membership and resource connections to local government; (3) policy areas in which the FPCs are working
Summary
A broad and diverse network of civically engaged groups and individuals are working locally to improve food system outcomes. A food policy council (FPC) consists of representatives and stakeholders from many sectors of the food system who work with city and state governments to promote the social, economic, and environmental health of local and regional food systems (Harper, Shattuck, Holt-Giménez, Alkon, & Lambrick, 2009). Supported by professional groups such as the American Planning Association (American Planning Association, 2007), local governments are increasingly engaged in food systems planning and policy, both within communities and across regions (Hodgson, 2012; Pothukuchi, 2009; Pothukuchi & Kaufman, 1999). We are interested in where your FPC might get policy relevant information ( from research or other systematically collected data) It could be from academics or other sources. Help us get a picture by drawing a map of the organizations and people who provide information or knowledge to the FPC, and talk about how it's shared with the council members
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