Memorandum
City of Lawrence
City Manager’s Office
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TO: |
Mayor Amyx |
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FROM: |
Helen Schnoes, Food Systems Coordinator (Douglas County) & Eileen Horn, Sustainability Director |
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DATE: |
September 22, 2016 |
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RE: |
Food System Plan Development Update |
The Douglas County Food Policy Council was tasked to identify goals, objectives, and policies to strategically guide Agricultural Land Preservation and Local Food System Support & Development Comprehensive Plan by the Horizon 2020 Steering Committee.
The following elements have occurred in this process:
· 12+ focus groups with food systems stakeholders
· Updating of the local food system assessment (originally published in 2011)
· Collaboration with The Sunrise Project to collect community food stories, particularly among underrepresented communities
· Launch of a community survey. All residents of Douglas County are encouraged to participate. The survey will ask about the local shopping, eating, and cooking experiences of local residents. It also offers respondents the chance to share their thoughts on identified food system issues, including access to healthy food, agricultural land preservation, economic development, and urban agriculture.
o The survey is available online through the Lawrence Listens portal. It will close Sunday, October 9. http://lawrenceks.org/lawrence-listens
All City and County Commissioners are invited to attend a Fall Farm Tour as part of this process on September 30, 2016 from 8:00am to 10:30am. The tour will begin and end at the Douglas County Fairgrounds focus on agritourism and economic development.
The results of this research and identified priorities will be discussed in November:
A fully-drafted food plan will be completed and reviewed in January 2017, and then brought to the City and County Commissions for adoption.
Additional information about the Food System Plan can be found at https://www.douglascountyks.org/fpc/food-system-plan