Sedgwick County Kansas (population 523,824) is located in south-central Kansas. Its county seat is Wichita, the most populous city in the state. The Health & Wellness Coalition of Wichita has long championed food system progress in the region, serving as a convener and facilitator of efforts to address food insecurity, access to healthy food, and […]
Over the past several years, scholars in planning and public health have increasingly called attention to inequities in the food system. One recent article that caused us to reflect on our practice here at New Venture Advisors is “Planning for Regional Food Equity” published January 2021 in the Journal of the American Planning Association. The researchers […]
Recently, New Venture Advisors presented to the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health Community Health Academy. The Community Health Academy is a learning collaborative of mayors and city leaders from across the state of Idaho. They work together to learn about policy changes they can adopt to support community health – like how they […]
New Venture Advisors is privileged to work alongside powerful forces driving progress toward building food systems we can all be proud of. These forces—our collaborators, partners, clients, visionaries—are leaders in changing how we think about and act regarding food. In this Forces for Good Food series, we voice our gratitude for and spotlight the people […]
The City of Wichita (pop’n 390,000), located in Sedgwick County, Kansas, is in the south-central part of the state. For the past 20 years, the Health and Wellness Coalition of Wichita has promoted people, programs, and policies that build a healthier community. The Coalition fosters long-term partnerships among public health, business, government, grassroots organizations, planners, […]
As communities mature in their food systems work, they often recognize that they need a roadmap to guide their work more strategically. We’ve heard from communities big and small across the country with a common question: How do we know what policies and programs we should implement to strengthen our food system? Food System Plans […]
Food System Planning: What is it? Why do it? Cities and counties across the U.S. create Master Plans or Comprehensive Plans to lay out their community’s vision for land use, economic development, transportation, health, and other dimensions of civic life. These plans are regularly updated to reflect the changing community context. Mobile markets, urban agriculture, […]
The Whatcom County Food System Committee recently conducted a community food assessment that pointed to key opportunities to build a more robust and resilient regional food system. New Venture Advisors will partner with Whatcom County staff and the Food System Committee to draft a Whatcom County Food System Plan that builds upon these findings. This Plan will focus on six sectors of the food system including fishing, farming, labor, food access, environment, and waste, and will be informed by an inclusive and equitable community engagement process. The Food System Plan will provide the county with a policy roadmap that will strengthen the local food system for years to come. (2022)
The Whatcom Community Foundation invests in activities and organizations that improve the ability of people to help themselves, increase connections among people, and take cooperative approaches to community issues. WCF is exploring the development of a local food campus on a waterfront property that would become a multi-tenant site, anchored by a school district commissary. The goal is to strengthen Whatcom County’s local food system by promoting health equity, forging tangible strategic connections between food production organizations, and helping farmers connect with institutional markets. NVA developed the business case for this ambitious project and continues to support its development. (2022)