Oral

This session will explore different aspects of community food systems, and the implications for community nutrition and health. The session will begin with a look at potential intersections between obesity-prevention and food-security movements by highlighting two community food systems projects on urban farming and produce-box delivery. Subsequent presentations will focus on initiatives to decrease disparities in healthy-food access, particularly in marginalized communities. One session will discuss a program training communities to modify municipal planning policies to better support local food production. Another will focus on school gardens in middle and high schools of urban communities. A third will focus on farm-to-family community-supported agriculture. Sessions will also explore ancillary benefits of community food systems work, like promoting youth development, improving eco-literacy, improving sense of community, and transforming the physical, economic, and social landscapes of communities in a way that creates linkages between local food producers and consumers.

Session Objectives: 1. Describe different community-supported mechanisms for linking local food producers to consumers. 2. Formulate how farm, school, and urban agriculture initiatives along with policy planning can improve healthy-food access in communities. 3. List some to the ancillary community benefits of community-supported agriculture projects.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)