The recent Santa Fe Food Forum hosted by Mayor Gonzalez, Anna Hansen,
Vice Chair, Santa Fe County Board of County Commissioners, and the
Santa Fe Food Policy Council (SFFPC) focused on the progress and next steps
of the City and County multi-year FOOD PLAN. Thank you to Seth Roffman of
Green Fire Times for his excellent photos of the event.
Thought provoking presentations created a foundation for the group to share
ideas and approaches to strengthening our local food and farm economy, and ways
to further engage public institutions in local purchasing. Auditor Tim Keller
and colleagues gave a thought provoking presentation about the status of food
procurement by state agencies, supported by information from their recent
report.
The group was inspired by success stories such as Santa Fe County’s long range
support for farming and ranching through their soon to be launched AgriGate
program. Other successes include Santa Fe Public Schools vast purchasing of NM
grown fresh fruits and vegetables, and support programs at the Santa Fe Farmers
Market that increase food access to all community members. All of these efforts
connect people and programs, and support the health of our community.
Special thanks to our sponsors: Con Alma Health Foundation, Santa Fe
Community Foundation, and Il Piato Restaurant for a fabulous reception!
Here are some specific outcomes of the Santa Fe Food Forum:
1) Towards our local food procurement goal, Commissioner Hansen looks forward to
working with us on the next steps with the possibility to develop a resolution
in support of local food procurement
2) Further connections were made with participating agencies who were interested in
options to buy locally.
3) There were absolutely “ahaa” moments for many of our audience
members as they gained a greater understanding of the potentials for creating a local food
economy, focusing on local food procurement as a priority. There was much
appreciation by the audience for the presentations and most of the information
was considered “new” and engaging.
4) We have gained a broader interest and understanding of the work of the Santa Fe
Food Policy Council including support for the goals of the FOOD PLAN.
5) We had over 90 registrants and 67 participants. More than half are new to the
work of the Santa Fe Food Policy Council and the Food Plan
6) The reception at Il Piatto was a total hit! Thanks to Il Piatto for a wonderful
event and beautiful food. They have offered to host another get-together.