Farm to Fork: Cultivating Grassroots Capacity to
Transform Food Access

The major purpose of the Farm to Fork:  Cultivating Grassroots Capacity to Transform Food Access is to reduce nutrition-related health risks and disparities in an inner city, African-American, Milwaukee neighborhood.

Partners:

• Center for Healthy Communities & Research, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin
• Urban Open Space Foundation

Goals of the Program: 

• Assess the community’s food system; environmental barriers to food access; and residents’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviors toward food in the Greater Johnson Park area.
• Develop shared vision for comprehensive Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate a pilot program to address one or more segments of the comprehensive Farm to Fork strategy
• Expand coalition’s capacity through community organizing

Project Period

• July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008

Current Activities:

• Determine baseline data needs and gaps in current assessment efforts
• Identify community food assessment tools and work with residents to tailor assessment tools to local needs
• Train youth/adult residents to conduct neighborhood food assessment

Future Plans: 

• Prepare and disseminate summary report of community assessment to residents, Coalition partners, and area organizations
• Analyze food assessment results with residents to identify strengths and gaps in the local food system
• Work with Coalition partners to identify and plan pilot program that embody the F2F vision and strengthen linkages among resources

Funding Sources:

• Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program

Contact Information. 

Linda Meurer