Together, the City of Flagstaff, Flagstaff Foodlink, a local resident steering committee, and the team at New Venture Advisors facilitated a year-long assessment process. The results were published in the Community Food System Assessment (CFSA), establishing a comprehensive overview of the Flagstaff and Northern Arizona food system, creating a baseline of crucial food system metrics, and setting the stage for the Flagstaff Food Action Plan. Here is a brief overview of the assessment process:

• Extensive secondary data collection: Information was pulled from county, state, and national datasets that focus on our food system. Sources include the U.S. Census, the USDA Census of Agriculture, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, Feeding America, and local community health assessments.

• Community-wide survey: Community members across Mohave, Yavapai, Coconino, Navajo, and Apache counties were invited to share their experiences and perceptions of the regional food system. We received 1,041 total responses.

• Focus groups: 34 key food system stakeholders participated in focus groups to share their on-the-ground insights and experiences. Focus groups were conducted with six food system audiences: Food Retail Outlets, Farmers/Ranchers, Funders in the Food System, Institutional Food Purchasers, Emergency Food Access, and Food Waste/Recovery.

Following the conclusion of the assessment, the City of Flagstaff, Flagstaff Foodlink, and Pinnacle Prevention hosted six open conversations and two stakeholder gatherings, engaging over 140 community members in the fall of 2024. These meetings were an opportunity for people to share and reflect on the data from the CFSA and to understand perspectives on overall needs. The information from these meetings instructs the development of a food action plan and helps guide decision-making efforts in the future.

Analysis of the data collected from the CFSA and Community Conversations identified overarching themes and priorities to include in the Food Action Plan. After numerous steering committee meetings and two policy workshops with local partners, we have constructed a draft plan with specific Goals, Objectives, and Actions.

We are now seeking input from the public to prioritize the identified actions in order to finalize the plan and present to City Council for adoption.

Ensure long-term community food security and equitable access to affordable, healthy, and culturally relevant foods for all residents.

• Objective 1: Invest in and support initiatives that increase the affordability and accessibility of healthy, locally produced foods in institutions (e.g. schools, hospitals) and community markets (e.g. farmers markets and grocery stores).
• Objective 2: Strengthen and scale food rescue and redistribution efforts to ensure that excess adequate food goes to people.
• Objective 3: Promote and support initiatives that empower people to grow, prepare, preserve, share, and compost food, including educational opportunities that build self-sufficiency and community resilience.
• Objective 4: Build and design neighborhoods to ensure all residents enjoy food access and opportunities to grow healthy food.

Invest in building a thriving local food system where farmers, ranchers, food makers, and food businesses can sustainably grow, raise, process, sell, distribute, and share food for and with the community.

• Objective 1: Invest in and support development of food infrastructure to strengthen production, processing, distribution, storage and transportation for small- to mid- scale operations.
• Objective 2: Provide current and aspiring food producers and entrepreneurs (including cottage food businesses) resources to start, grow and sustain their businesses and expand opportunities to market and sell their food.
• Objective 3: Strengthen local market development initiatives to boost the local food economy and expand awareness and access to locally grown, raised, and value-added foods.
• Objective 4: Increase access to viable and affordable land for farmers and ranchers, particularly Indigenous and new/beginning, to grow and/or raise food.

Protect and enhance the resilience of the region's food systems—including land, water, air, and people—to ensure food production, distribution, cultural traditions, and access can thrive amid the challenges of climate change.

• Objective 1: Expand and promote awareness of City of Flagstaff composting services and programs.
• Objective 2: Equip farmers, ranchers, and food businesses with resources, tools, and infrastructure to practice climate-smart agriculture, conserve soil and water, and adopt energy- and water-efficient operations.

Strengthen existing and future food system coordination and partnerships and City engagement to support current and new initiatives success.

• Objective 1: Establish new and coordinate existing food system programs, partnerships, and initiatives.
• Objective 2: Strengthen community education about the benefits of a resilient local food system and expand opportunities for community input on local food projects, policies, and planning efforts.