Plan Information

CategoryDatabase entry
Plan RegionOhio
Publication Date2017
Entry reviewed by original authorYes
PDF attachmentView Full Report
Plan TitleMapping the Vision for the Future of Ohio’s Food System 
Webpagehttps://ohiofpn.org/policy-agenda/
Author(s)Ohio Food Policy Network (OFPN)
OFPN Organizing Team includes: Amy Baskes (Amy Baskes Consulting), Jill Clark (Assistant Professor, John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University), Amalie Lipstreu (Policy Program Coordinator at the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association), and Andrew Wapner (Center for Public Health Practice at The Ohio State University College of Public Health).
Author Type Network; Partnership; University
Region Type State
Funding Sources State University
FundersOhio State University’s Initiative for Food and AgriCultural Transformation (InFACT), an Ohio State University Discovery Theme program
Total Project BudgetCash funds of $30,500, in addition to in-kind donation of time by organizing team
Plan GoalsIdentifying local networks and OFPN’s values, goals, purpose, objectives, and vision. And, “To develop and strengthen lasting partnerships within the OFPN and establish an infrastructure to support food system development” (p. 2).
Specific goals established by stakeholder engagement (p. 10): 1. Support the growth and production of farms of all sizes in all areas of the state,2. Increase access for locally grown and healthy food for all Ohioans,3. Develop distribution/processing networks to connect producers with processors and utilizers within the system,4. Increase institutional utilization and participation in the Ohio food system.
Intended AudienceOFPN members, representing “interested people and organization that share values and a common vision for the food system in Ohio” (p. 4) and the larger Ohio food systems community.
Plan Recommendation StructureThis is not a formal plan. Rather, this report outlines the work and vision of the Ohio Food Policy Network (OFPN). It does so by laying out: 
1) The findings of a network analysis, 2) “the shared values of the OFPN, a vision that describes the ideal Ohio food system, and key opportunities for the network” (p. 2) (explored additionally within the Roadmap).
Catalyst for PlanThe 2016 Ohio Food Policy Summit
Creation ProcessThe OFPN (founded in 2016) is built upon a decade-plus history of FPCs and a Governor-created Food Policy Advisory Council (disbanded 2012).  
Leadership:A 19-person ad hoc Governance Committee was created within OFPN to lead this project. It “consisted of leaders of existing statewide groups and coalitions, subject matter experts from different sectors of the food system, and faculty and staff at Ohio State University from all regions of the state” (p. 4). The vision was authored by a 4-person project team (made up of members of the Committee). 
Engagement process (over 500 participants): 6 listening sessions held around the state + 1 web-based survey; responses informed the report to help articulate a shared vision for Ohio’s food system. 
Each participant engaged in the following activities (p3): 1. Network mapping activity 2. “Motivations” assessment: following the 2016 Ohio Local Food Policy Summit (hosted by OSU), project leaders identified eight “motivations” for food systems work and asked participants to rank their top three; these became the vision statement. 3. Discussion responses: “What is an ideal food system?” and “What work can we do together to create that ideal food system?” 
Theoretical Framework(s) Employed  N/A
Theoretical Framework(s): Additional LiteratureUnspecified
Development Timeline18 months
Implementation StrategyUnspecified. However, the final section of the report (p. 11) identifies “educate and advance” as the next steps, as outlined by the roadmap (p. 10).
Implementation TimelineUnspecified
Evaluation StrategyUnspecified
International Development Framework(s)None
Current Plan StatusUnknown
Government Adoption StatusUnknown
Government Adoption Status (Notes)N/A
Supplemental Documents View Supplemental Documents