Update on the Climate Smart Food Systems Network

During the January Climate Smart Food Systems regional workgroup meeting, partners came together to share updates, identify areas for collaboration, and begin shaping priorities for the year ahead. The conversation highlighted strong interest in strengthening connections across people and groups working on local food initiatives across the region, improving communication across partners, and better understanding the assets and initiatives already underway throughout the Northeast region.

Based on discussion and feedback, the group is currently focusing on several action areas:

• Communications: Beginning a weekly newsletter to share updates, opportunities, and partner resources while continuing to explore longer-term communication platforms.
• Contact Lists & Network Mapping: Exploring tools such as Airtable to better “see” and organize our regional network of resources, people, and organizations in food systems and improve connections across the map.
• Meeting Structure: Moving to monthly 90-minute meetings with shared partner updates at the start of each meeting and beginning conversations around a future in-person gathering.
• Shared Values: Developing a values document to help guide how we work together as a regional network.
• Existing Assessments & Resources: Collecting existing assessments and creating a shared folder where partners can continue contributing materials that give us greater knowledge about the regional food system.
• Shovel-Ready Grants: Beginning the development of a regional spreadsheet to track grant opportunities, backbone organizations, and related partners.

Our next meeting will include a guest presentation from Region 9 RDC (Regional Development Commission) on their regional food rescue work on February 24th from 12:00-1:30p. This will be an open meeting.

Want to connect with partners working across the Northeast MN region? Contact Taylour Blakeman at blakemant@communityhealthboard.org to request a contact list or ways to get involved.