Plan for a More Sustainable Food System

Food, as a high turnover commodity - a good used on a daily basis - is the largest category of freight shipped using our region's highway and road system. Some researchers state that an increased reliance on local food sources will aid the region in energy conservation, economic and work force development, and improved public health.

DVRPC's Plan for a More Sustainable Food System follows ups on the Commission's first phase of food system planning, the Greater Philadelphia Food System Study, a large surveying effort and analytical analysis that identified prominent stakeholders, successful programs, regional competitive advantages, recommendations for improvement, and differing interests.

This current planning phase builds on the knowledgebase of the food system study and will create a vision for a more sustainable food system for Greater Philadelphia. The Plan will identify shared values, goals, indicators, recommendations and priorities for Greater Philadelphia's food system. A draft of the planning process is available here and some of the identified values are below.

In addition to creating a plan adopted and implemented by the Stakeholder Committee and their member organizations, DVRPC's food system planning efforts seek to coordinate, collaborate, and complement the efforts of many diverse state agencies, organizations and businesses working to support and expand the local food economy, food access, and sustainable agriculture, by convening regular meetings and providing meaningful activities and interaction.

Information on upcoming stakeholder committee meetings and events are available here.

The Plan for a More Sustainable Food System is funded by DVRPC's work program with generous support from the G. R. Dodge Foundation. The project will be completed in the summer of 2010.