Vision and Goals

Vision

Together we can build a better food system. We envision a Connecticut where everyone has access to safe, nutritious, culturally appropriate, and affordable food; where the food system is more reliant on local and regional production; where the food supply chain, including farms and fisheries but also grocery stores and restaurants, supports many vibrant and varied businesses that provide sustainable livelihoods; where there is broad public awareness and passionate public support of a robust local food system; and where stewardship of soil, water, air and energy resources is institutionalized as an integral part of a resilient and robust regional culture of food, health and community.

Goals

In the coming decade, the food system in Connecticut will be thriving and resilient; it will be rooted in justice, equity, and sustainability. Connecticut will be in a position to achieve, together with other states in the region, the New England Food Vision of 50% local food production by 2060.

This racially, economically, environmentally just food system will thrive as a result of:

Strong Communities

To support strong communities, the CFSA will:

  • Create working relationships among food system stakeholders that are close, strong, enduring, fair, and equitable.
  • Improve access for all community members to an adequate, affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate diet.
  • Remove barriers to civic engagement and leverage influence to amplify community voices advocating for improvements to the food system.
  • Encourage food and agriculture-related businesses that result in stronger community economies through creation of jobs with livable wages, fair pricing for consumers and producers, and recirculation of financial capital in the community.
  • Encourage anchor institutions such as hospitals, schools, and government agencies to support their local communities by incorporating local food into their procurement policies.
  • Develop and support policies that promote local food production and improve access to local retail and processing markets.
  • Improve health, reduce risk of diet-related diseases, and increase enjoyment of food among community members.

Informed Consumers

To develop consumers into informed food system stakeholders, the CFSA will:

  • Provide the information and experiences necessary for consumers (children and adults) to understand the sources of their food; the social, environmental, and health impacts of their food choices; and the role of food in a healthy community.
  • Raise public participation and interest in food and agriculture, leading consumers to self-identify as food system stakeholders.
  • Foster a culture of civic engagement for equitable and sustainable food policy at the municipal, state, and federal level.
  • Clarify information in cases where obscurity, uncertainty, and equivocation prevail.
  • Advocate for health and nutrition education to be available for all ages.

Sustainable Food Economy

To promote sustainable food production and distribution, the CFSA will identify and promote:

  • The application of sustainable agricultural practices that preserve and enhance natural resources and ecosystem services.
  • Energy efficient practices throughout the system.
  • Strategies that reduce and reuse resources, including waste, throughout the food system.
  • Sustainable infrastructure that ensures our goals for the food system can be met today, tomorrow and forever.
  • Research-based, up-to-date, sound regulations for food production and land management that balance human health, the environment, and producer concerns.