8.B.
City Council Meeting - FINAL
- Meeting Date:
- 05/19/2020
- From:
- Dylan Lenzen, Sustainability Specialist
Information
TITLE
Sustainable Food Systems Update
STAFF RECOMMENDED ACTION:
This is an informational update on the Sustainability Section’s Food System programming.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Sustainability staff have been building out exciting new food system initiatives in the past couple of years, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic has made this work ever more critical. This disruption is providing a necessary catalyst to start new initiatives, develop community partnerships, and build new infrastructure to improve access to affordable, healthy food for all of our residents. The efforts that staff will share with you not only address the immediate needs of our community amid the current public health emergency but will provide a foundation needed to build a more resilient food system and community than when we entered the current crisis.
INFORMATION:
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Sustainability staff have prioritized work that supports our community’s recovery, including work in local food system. This includes actions that support emergency food access in the near term and build food security and local economic recovery in the long term.
COVID-19 Response Efforts
The pandemic and resulting economic disruption have left many individuals without the capacity to pay for basic necessities, including food. Sustainability staff are collaborating with local partners as part of the Food Sector of the Social Safety Net Coalition. From this collaboration, it is clear that there is capacity to meet the growing demand for hunger relief services, but there are concerns of community awareness of these available resources. As a group, we’ve been collaborating to spread the word about available food resources and services, including at-home delivery.
Additionally, staff have been organizing other food system partners to form a network for action to build broader food system resilience. Networks like this exist in communities across the country and allow for leveraging and mobilization of resources to solve critical issues in the food system. Building this network has been discussed in the past, but the current pandemic has identified a pressing need for such collaboration. Not only will this group support near-term action, but it will also be useful in building a robust and equitable food system as we emerge for the current crisis.
In addition to these actions taken specifically in response to COVID-19, staff are ramping up existing and planned programs to support long-term food security and economic recovery.
Food Waste Prevention and Recovery
With support from the Natural Resources Defense Council, staff conducted research identifying sources of food waste and potential food recovery in our community. The greatest source of food waste is from our restaurant industry (36%). While this sector has been impacted by recent social distancing measures, the residential sector is a close second (29%) and presents a significant opportunity in light of the current economic downturn. Staff will be communicating household food waste prevention best-practices to maximize available food resources and reduce excess spending on food.
Community Garden Improvements
Across the country, seed distributors are seeing unprecedented demand for seeds, as individuals look to gardening as a mechanism for food security. We are observing a similar spike in interest locally, but not everyone has access to land for gardening. The City’s community gardens are an essential resource for lacking garden space. In response to COVID-19, staff have fast-tracked an expansion of garden plots throughout the City, and the O’Leary Street garden in particular. Each individual plot provides rentable growing space for one individual or family. The O’Leary Street garden has historically had only a single garden plot, and with recent improvements, will have 15 new plots. We have also added an additional 5 garden plots across the Izabel and Bonito Street gardens.
This year, the gardens have seen an unprecedented number of new gardeners and demand for scholarships. With this increase in gardening activity, we are anticipating a need for more education. In partnership with the Coconino County Cooperative Extension, staff have begun sharing multiple new virtual education opportunities focused on new gardeners.
Backyard Livestock Keeping Outreach
Staff are conducting outreach to single-family residents with information on how to keep backyard livestock within City limits. These efforts include introducing the City’s new permitting requirement that was adopted by Council in November 2019. For those that have the space on their property, backyard livestock, such as chickens, can provide necessary sustenance for a family that may not be able to afford such goods at a grocery store.
Local Economic Development
As we enter a period of economic recovery, the local food system is poised to provide a foundation for future development. In collaboration with community partners and Economic Vitality, staff will be developing shovel-ready projects to utilize available recovery funding to increase our local food supply, jobs, and economic opportunity.
An example of such efforts can be found in the City’s Urban Farm Incubator Program, which currently leases vacant City land to beginning farmers as a catalyst to grow their operation. This program, which increases local agriculture and creates jobs, could be expanded as new vacant lots are identified within the community.
COVID-19 Response Efforts
The pandemic and resulting economic disruption have left many individuals without the capacity to pay for basic necessities, including food. Sustainability staff are collaborating with local partners as part of the Food Sector of the Social Safety Net Coalition. From this collaboration, it is clear that there is capacity to meet the growing demand for hunger relief services, but there are concerns of community awareness of these available resources. As a group, we’ve been collaborating to spread the word about available food resources and services, including at-home delivery.
Additionally, staff have been organizing other food system partners to form a network for action to build broader food system resilience. Networks like this exist in communities across the country and allow for leveraging and mobilization of resources to solve critical issues in the food system. Building this network has been discussed in the past, but the current pandemic has identified a pressing need for such collaboration. Not only will this group support near-term action, but it will also be useful in building a robust and equitable food system as we emerge for the current crisis.
In addition to these actions taken specifically in response to COVID-19, staff are ramping up existing and planned programs to support long-term food security and economic recovery.
Food Waste Prevention and Recovery
With support from the Natural Resources Defense Council, staff conducted research identifying sources of food waste and potential food recovery in our community. The greatest source of food waste is from our restaurant industry (36%). While this sector has been impacted by recent social distancing measures, the residential sector is a close second (29%) and presents a significant opportunity in light of the current economic downturn. Staff will be communicating household food waste prevention best-practices to maximize available food resources and reduce excess spending on food.
Community Garden Improvements
Across the country, seed distributors are seeing unprecedented demand for seeds, as individuals look to gardening as a mechanism for food security. We are observing a similar spike in interest locally, but not everyone has access to land for gardening. The City’s community gardens are an essential resource for lacking garden space. In response to COVID-19, staff have fast-tracked an expansion of garden plots throughout the City, and the O’Leary Street garden in particular. Each individual plot provides rentable growing space for one individual or family. The O’Leary Street garden has historically had only a single garden plot, and with recent improvements, will have 15 new plots. We have also added an additional 5 garden plots across the Izabel and Bonito Street gardens.
This year, the gardens have seen an unprecedented number of new gardeners and demand for scholarships. With this increase in gardening activity, we are anticipating a need for more education. In partnership with the Coconino County Cooperative Extension, staff have begun sharing multiple new virtual education opportunities focused on new gardeners.
Backyard Livestock Keeping Outreach
Staff are conducting outreach to single-family residents with information on how to keep backyard livestock within City limits. These efforts include introducing the City’s new permitting requirement that was adopted by Council in November 2019. For those that have the space on their property, backyard livestock, such as chickens, can provide necessary sustenance for a family that may not be able to afford such goods at a grocery store.
Local Economic Development
As we enter a period of economic recovery, the local food system is poised to provide a foundation for future development. In collaboration with community partners and Economic Vitality, staff will be developing shovel-ready projects to utilize available recovery funding to increase our local food supply, jobs, and economic opportunity.
An example of such efforts can be found in the City’s Urban Farm Incubator Program, which currently leases vacant City land to beginning farmers as a catalyst to grow their operation. This program, which increases local agriculture and creates jobs, could be expanded as new vacant lots are identified within the community.
Attachments
- Sustainable Food Systems Presentation
- Waste Food and Recovery Potential Report
- Backyard Livestock Keeping Flier