island’s current food system, showing where the food comes from, how it moves through the community, who the players in the food system are, what the current food resources Local Chefs who prepared local food for Food on the island are, Summit 2 in June 2015 and the needs of the different island populations. The first phase of mapping is anticipated to be published in April. Mapping the island’s current food resources will connect all the participants in the food system, thereby creating a network that can share information across boundaries and generate cooperation between the people and organizations involved in providing food to the island community. Ultimately, these efforts will make it possible to create a comprehensive vision for an improved food system that can be incorporated in the Comprehensive Plan of each of the island’s three municipalities, offering a practical image of a highly productive, effective and resilient food system with policies and activities that will ensure it. In order to foster growing public awareness and understanding of the vital relationships between health, environment, agriculture and a thriving local economy, the initiative aims to create an ongoing community Students in the Thompson Middle School conversation about garden in downtown Newport the many aspects of food and agricultural future. Annual Food Summits have been taking place to bring food issues to the community in vibrant conversations designed to create solutions. The 2015 Food Summit has already resulted in an energetic movement to grow more food on the island by establishing a community garden in every town and a garden in every school.
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For more information about the upcoming Food Summit in April 2016, email IslandCommons@gmail.com or visit IslandCommons.org. Bevan Linsley is project director at The Island Commons Initiative.
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