What is a community food assessment??

A community food assessment is the first step in local food systems planning.

While community food assessments are relatively new and vary greatly as they are intended to fit diverse community needs and characteristics, there is a set of key principles which guide the process:

1. Examines a broad range of food issues and the links between these issues and community goals. Issues can range from improving emergency food access to increasing community health and nutrition, from expanding sustainable local food production to providing more gardening resources and education to residents.

2. Is a practical tool with practical applications. Unlike traditional research, a community food assessment is carried out with the intentions of gathering the information, community input and participation necessary to support and build concrete actions to improve community food security and enhance the local food system.

3. Is a planned and systematic process of gathering information about and analyzing community food issues. The process involves a combination of gathering existing data and collecting new information through a variety of methods from survey to discussion. The information is then analyzed and compiled in a report which will be shared with the community and serve as a platform to create community food projects to address identified needs and utilize existing resources.

4. Focuses on both needs and strengths. The process allows a community to solve local problems with local resources and therefore builds local capacity and self-reliance.

5. Emphasizes collaboration and includes broad community participation. Everyone eats=Everyone has a stake in our local food system. Our food system is about people, relationships and resources and involves a wide array of players from producers and grocers to community health agencies, schools, local government and many more. It is essential that the assessment be community-based with local voices driving its focus and direction.