Western U.P. Food Systems Planning and Policy

Planning for nourishing, sustainable local and regional food systems can bring environmental, physical, and social benefits to local communities.

Resilient local food systems help maintain and grow opportunities in the agricultural and food sectors through jobs and production on farms and farm support businesses, food processing, food transport and distribution, marketing, retail, and other food-related areas.

Community food systems that focus on local and regional food production and sales as well as ecologically friendly, sustainable farming practices reduce the amount of energy and resources needed for food production and distribution as well as the potential negative environmental impacts of agricultural production on land, water, and air.

Planning that includes better access to and availability of healthy, affordable, fresh food can significantly impact health at both the individual and community level. Resources below have been created to assist local government in integrating local food systems into their policy documents such as master plans, recreation plans, local food system planning, and zoning language. Community Health Profiles are also available below and provide a snapshot of the demographic data available when they were published in 2019.