Cass Clay Food Partners and MetroCOG are National Leaders in Local Food Policy Efforts

Whether in a booming metropolis or in the middle of the nation’s breadbasket, food is fundamental to wellbeing. Improving access to healthy food hinges on organized collaboration to generate results. Cass Clay Food Partners, with support from MetroCOG, has served our community since 2010 to organize efforts across multiple organizations to create a healthier and more vibrant food system in the Red River Valley.

A new article in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems and Community Development features the outstanding work of Cass Clay Food Partners. The article by Abby Gold, vice chair of the North Dakota State University Department of Public Health, and Noelle Harden, associate professor with University of Minnesota Extension, highlights the unique boundary-crossing role that Cass Clay Food Partners plays in order to:

• Increase opportunities to grow, buy and sell local food
• Help organizations working to provide community gardens, teach food skills and build relationships with community members around growing, cooking and sharing local food
• Support groups that organize to address hunger, waste and community food resilience
• Educate elected officials and other key stakeholders about their role in the food system

“For everyone interested in healthy food, in changing local food ordinances in their community or seeking a more integrated approach to local food systems change, the journal article provides qualitative research and analysis to help guide such efforts,” said Harden.