We plan for economic development, land use, transportation, water systems, and other vital aspects of our communities. What about food?

What would it mean to have a regional agenda for food? Could we develop deliberate strategies to increase the amount of food we buy from local farms and grow in urban gardens? Could food become a key part of economic development? Could we increase the quality and security of our food supply? Could we consider prime farmland to be an irreplaceable resource to be protected by regional land-use plans?

This section will cover the people and organizations (see the resources below) who are thinking about our regional food system and farmland preservation. 

To get you thinking, here is a paper (PDF 296KB) about the importance of food to the Ohio economy. It describes how economists at Ohio State University have developed an "input-output model" to measure the impact of food and agricultural-related sectors. In 2002 these sectors of the Ohio economy accounted for 9% of gross state product and 15% of total employment. This sort of information can now be used to estimate the impact of programs to increase the local production and consumption of food. For example, what if we could increase local production and processing of apples and reduce the amount we spend to import apples from other elsewhere in the world? What would be the impact of keeping those food dollars in the local economy? 

In Cuyahoga County alone, residents and businesses spend over $3 billion on food each year. For Northeast Ohio, this figure exceeds $7 billion. Yet, only a small percentage of these dollars benefit farmers in Northeast Ohio. The average food molecule travels between 1,300 to 2,500 miles to reach us. If we shorten that chain, we reduce carbon in the atmosphere and generate local wealth. What are the local economic benefits of purchasing local food? How can keeping our food dollars local help to improve urban greenspace, preserve farmland, and create new economic opportunities for local businesses? How does local food fit into a broader regional economic development strategy? How do we expand community control of our food system?
— Brad Masi, New Agrarian Center

Ohio resources
American Farmland Trust - Ohio 
Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Food Policy Coalition
Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy
Farmland Center of Northeast Ohio
New Agrarian Center of Northeast Ohio
Ohio Center for Farmland Policy Innovation
OSU Farm Income Enhancement Program
OSU Swank Program in Rural-Urban Policy 
Ohio Local Food Systems Collaborative

Food system research from other states
Community Food Security Coalition
Iowa: Marketing and food systems initiative
Michigan: Eat fresh and grow jobs
Toronto Food Council: "Putting food security on the urban planning menu" (250 KB pdf)
Toronto Food Charter