Join the National Community of Practice - State & Regional Food System Planning
PUBLISHED BY MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR REGIONAL FOOD SYSTEMS ON JUNE 25, 2025
Food system planning is the process of assessing, organizing, and guiding the development and governance of food systems to promote sustainability, equity, resilience, and public health. It integrates considerations of land use, agricultural production, food distribution, food access, labor, environmental impacts, cultural foodways, and economic development. Food system planning involves collaboration across sectors—government, farmers, researchers, nonprofits, Indigenous and local communities, and businesses—to shape policies, infrastructure, and investments that support a healthy and just food system. For more information, go to the American Planning Association’s page for Food Systems, or the following MSU CRFS page on Food System Planning.
National Community of Practice – State & Regional Food System Plans
For over a decade, many U.S. states and regions have developed food system plans and charters to guide collaboration, policy advocacy, and shared goal-setting among diverse stakeholders. These planning processes aim to enhance the sustainability, health, equity, and resilience of local and regional food systems, often drawing upon the policy recommendations of our research.
The Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems (MSU CRFS) is now in the planning phase of establishing a National Community of Practice (NCOP) to support organizations, researchers, and policymakers engaged in this important work. Click here for more on the NCOP Design Process. You can join the Food System Planning National Community of Practice with this link.
We invite you to explore the growing collection of food system planning resources, including the recent Food System Planning Landscape Assessment, which synthesizes 25 state and city-level food system plans and charters from across the country. This effort builds on MSU CRFS’s extensive experience in food systems planning and is informed by the recent study:
Zougris, K., Miles, A. F., Benjamin, R., & Geismar, E. (2025). Forming a national community of practice of food system planning initiatives aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8, 1490923.
This NCOP seeks to harness collective insights and advance coordination, capacity building, and strategic action to strengthen food system planning efforts nationwide.
Visit the NCOP resource site here: https://sites.google.
Coming soon: A national listserv to connect individuals working on statewide and regional food systems planning efforts.
We welcome your interest and participation in this evolving National Community of Practice. If you are engaged in or considering a statewide or regional food system planning effort, this is an opportunity to connect with others, share tools and strategies, and build momentum toward more just and sustainable food systems.
See Lindsey with any questions you may have:Lindsey Scalera, Director of Policy and Leadership Education, Assistant Director of Policy, MSU Center for Regional Food Systems. ScaleraL@msu.edu. Boo