Background

History of Local Efforts

Local organizations have been addressing various food system issues for many years. FOOD for Lane County, St. Vincent de Paul, the Salvation Army, Catholic Community Services and many others are hunger relief agencies. The Lane County Food Coalition addresses multiple food system issues with a focus on farming and local markets. The School Gardens Project, Urban Farm, and Permaculture Guild all work on aspects of urban agriculture and education. The Lane County Farmers' Market, CVALCO, and the Chambers of Commerce increase viability and profitability of various food and agriculture businesses. The Red Cross and governmental bodies plan for food emergencies. OSU Extension Service, schools, medical centers and the WIC program educate community members on nutrition and food preparation and preservation. Many other organizations and government bodies address aspects of our complex food system as well.

Let's Talk Food

In 2003 and 2004, FOOD for Lane County (FFLC), the Lane County Food Coalition (LCFC) and other community partners held a series of four open meetings in 6 communities in Lane County (Veneta, Oakridge, Cottage Grove, Junction City, Springfield and Eugene). At the "Let's Talk Food" meetings, community members were encouraged to identify the strengths and challenges of their local food system and craft solutions. The projects that resulted addressed farmers' markets, community gardens, access to food and increasing vegetable consumption in schools. Each community identified issues that could not be addressed by citizens alone; these broader concerns gave rise to the need for a county-wide look at food and policy issues.

County-wide Food Planning Summit

In March of 2004 a County-wide Food Planning Summit was held at Oak Hill School in Eugene. The summit brought together more than 60 community and government leaders to learn about and discuss food issues and opportunities in Lane County. A food policy council was presented as a structure to begin addressing many food system concerns.

Food Policy Council Work Group

Out of the summit a work group was formed to research and write a recommendation for the development of a food policy council in Lane County. Over the course of three months, the work group met with experts and researched local possibilities and needs. The final report was released on June 7th, 2004. More than 30 community members and leaders attended work group meetings.

Food Policy Council Design Team

Following the Recommendation for the Development of a Food Policy Council in Lane County, the Food Policy Council Design Team was charged with taking all the steps necessary to make the Food Policy Council a reality. This included structure and function development, outreach, affiliation and preliminary fund-raising.

Food Policy Council

The LCFPC was formally launched in January 2006.

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