Due to concerns regarding the ongoing pandemic, this year’s summit will be a little different. The Connecticut Food System Alliance presents four interactive, virtual sessions about the ways in which we can collectively shape our food and farming future, culminating in a final discussion about what we’ve learned and how we can move forward with actionable steps towards regional resilience and equity.
Thank you to everyone who attended these sessions. Recordings, presentations, and Jambaords are all linked below each session. The Connecticut Food System Alliance will use these discussions to shape a Connecticut Food Action Plan. CFSA hopes to have a follow-up discussion in January 2021 in anticipation of the legislative session ahead.
Successful Food Supply Chain Adaptations & Sustainability
Wednesday, September 9, 2020
10am-12pm
Has your favorite restaurant started selling groceries? Are the flour shelves empty in your local grocery store? How do these adaptations inform policy and actions we want to see beyond the COVID-19 emergency? Join the CFSA and guest speakers discuss adaptations in the food chain to accommodate supply chain disruptions and reduce food waste.
Before attending, please prepare the following for discussion:
What are some examples of food supply chain shifts you have personally experienced? For example, restaurants are now selling groceries!
We hope to break out into groups to discuss these temporary shifts.
Assets & Gaps: What Do We Have and What Do We Need?
Thursday, September 17, 2020
1pm-3pm
What are the production, distribution, and land assets throughout the state of Connecticut? Are there opportunities hiding in our communities that could help strengthen food and farming in our state? In this session CFSA will identify our food system assets as well as gaps, and the actionable steps we can all take to optimize these existing and prospective opportunities.
Before attending, be prepared to talk about assets in your community. Are there underutilized refrigeration trucks somewhere? Are nurseries using land for flowers or turf that could be used for food? Can an abandoned warehouse be revitalized for cold storage?
Funding & Policy: Building Long-Term Systemic Solutions
Tuesday, September 22, 2020
10am-12pm
What’s the difference in impact between policy and philanthropy? What would it take for an average individual to get involved in long-term change? Join CFSA and speakers from funding organizations and policy coalitions for discussions about systemic change. Be prepared to think beyond an individual obstacle to tackle the root cause of these widespread issues.
Actionable Steps Toward the Future of Sustainable, Resilient Food & Farming
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
6pm-8pm
This final session will bring information from all three previous sessions together in order to look at the bigger picture. Final outcomes of this session will inform CFSA’s plan for the Connecticut Food Action Plan. This session will take shape based on what we gather from the first three. While each session informs the others, this final session will include re-caps of the previous three so we can all leave with important take-aways.
Thank you Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation for sponsoring this program.
Connecticut Food System Alliance 