Food System Innovators Convening on the U of M Campus
Today, a strategic group of 50 decision-makers working in food and farm financing and technical assistance are convening at the University of Minnesota to explore together how to align and strengthen our state’s ecosystem of these resources to increase the health and prosperity of all communities.
Hosted by the Minnesota Food Funders Network, “Our Common Table: Creating and Financing a Healthy Food System,” the group is working to identify existing and needed assets to ensure robust food and farm financing and technical assistance with the aim of strengthening local and regional food supplies.
The goal? Concrete policy and systems changes that these decision-makers can implement together to ensure a healthy, robust food infrastructure for the state. These changes can happen by creating a coordinated ‘ecosystem’ of public and private financing and technical assistance for food and farm businesses.
Several food and farm financing and technical assistance strategies recommended in the Minnesota Food Charter are informing the day’s discussion.
About The Minnesota Food Funders Network
The Minnesota Food Funders Network is a group of Minnesota-based funders who make informed, coordinated, and strategic investments to improve key facets of our food system. Their shared commitment to the vitality and prosperity of our state’s communities and resilience of our landscapes inspires their collaboration. With an emphasis on the interconnections between food, hunger, health, and agricultural issues, this diverse group of funders works together to:
- Share information about promising programs, organizations, issues, research, and initiatives
- Coordinate funding among members to ensure well-distributed investment of resources across food systems-focused organizations and initiatives
- Increase overall amount of funding available for food systems-related work
