Equitable Food Oriented Development
Equitable Food Oriented Development[edit]
Equitable Food Oriented Development (EFOD) is a community development strategy that seeks to build community assets, pride, and power among historically marginalized communities. EFOD organizations use a community-owned food system as a driver for improved community health and economic opportunities by investing in food-oriented entrepreneurs, social enterprises, cooperatives, and other market-driven structures owned by otherwise under-resourced community members.
A project or organization is considered to align with Equitable Food Oriented Development by meeting five criteria[1] (developed by the EFOD Steering Committee):
- Equity and Justice First
- Place- and People-Based
- Use Market-Based or Business Strategies
- Practice Community leadership Development or Community Organizing
- Prioritize Community Ownership
Key Criteria[edit]
Equity- and Justice-First[edit]
EFOD organizations recognize food as a foundational element of the built environment, and inequities in food access as a sign of broader social injustice. EFOD projects plan and implement equitable development projects through shared decision-making in the local food system. Equitable development projects have been shown to positively impact social justice.[2]
Place- and People-Based[edit]
EFOD projects are rooted in a specific community and its culture. EFOD projects are led and designed by members of that community and ensure resources are directed to those resident-generated priorities. EFOD organizations use food for equitable economic development to leverage the cultural traditions and history of that particular community.
Use Market-Based or Business Strategies[edit]
EFOD projects use a market-based lens, encouraging business ownership, profit-sharing, and quality job creation. EFOD organizations support food-based entrepreneurs or developing social enterprises, based on evidence that local wealth building is vital to community health and cohesion.[3]
Practice Community Leadership Development or Community Organizing[edit]
EFOD projects are led by community residents undertaking organizing and advocacy efforts. EFOD organizations build the voices of residents by investing in programming dedicated to community leadership development, community organizing, and local advocacy programming.
Prioritize Community Ownership[edit]
EFOD projects prioritize both individual ownership opportunities and community-held assets. Collective ownership may take many forms, including organization-owned markets and cafes, or democratic ownership structures such as worker-owned cooperatives.
History and Timeline[edit]
Equitable Food Oriented Development originated in 2015 out of conversations among community food development practitioners seeking formalized peer support and greater access to capital for community-owned projects. Organizations present included Mandela Partners, Community Services Unlimited, Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, and Social Justice Learning Institute.
After a few years of informally funded convenings, a 2018 grant from the Kresge Foundation supported those organizations to build what is now Equitable Food Oriented Development and the Equitable Food Oriented Development Collaborative, a group of organizations who make up EFOD’s governance and leadership body.[4]
The EFOD Collaborative made its first public appearance at the 2018 PolicyLink Equity Summit, an annual PolicyLink summit convening activists, organizers, and leaders from across the United States.
Today, the EFOD Collaborative has identified over 90 organizations in alignment with EFOD criteria.[5] Nine organizational members sit on the EFOD Steering Committee, and are responsible for assessing whether projects align with key EFOD criteria and for administering the EFOD Loan Fund.
The EFOD Fund[edit]
The EFOD Fund provides grants and loans to emerging EFOD projects that require significant capital resources, alongside technical assistance to support financed projects. The inaugural cohort of the EFOD Fund was announced during the Fall of 2020, and comprises eight organizations based in communities across the United States and Puerto Rico.[6]
Examples of EFOD in Practice[edit]
Many organizations around the country use EFOD principles to develop their work. Organizations in cities such as Minneapolis, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and El Paso use an EFOD philosophy when designing programs meant to increase community power and voice in development decision-making. Examples of EFOD initiatives around the country include:
La Mujer Obrera, El Paso, TX[edit]
La Mujer Obrera is a local independent organization based in El Paso’s Chamizal neighborhood dedicated to creating communities defined by women. Founded in 1981 by women who were both garment workers and Chicana activists, La Mujer Obrera has developed its organizing strategies based on the following basic human rights: employment, housing, education, nutrition, health, peace, and political liberty.[7] La Mujer Obrera’s mission is to develop and use their creative capacity to express the dignity and diversity of their Mexican heritage, from indigenous Mesoamerican roots to contemporary expressions, and to develop and celebrate their community through economic development, community building, community health and civic engagement.[8]
Mandela Partners, Oakland, CA[edit]
Mandela Partners, formerly Mandela MarketPlace, is a non-profit organization that works in partnership with local residents, family farmers, and community-based businesses to improve health, create wealth, and build assets through local food enterprises in low-income communities.[9]
From production to distribution to retail, Mandela Partners cultivates a model approach for advancing EFOD with an ecosystem of businesses, entrepreneurs, and initiatives firmly rooted in the principles of community-driven solutions and economic self-determination.[10]
Liberty's Kitchen, New Orleans, LA[edit]
Liberty's Kitchen provides pathways for New Orleans-area young people to create and achieve their vision of success, by getting supportive training in the food industry.[11]
Liberty's Kitchen formed in 2008 as a support organization for young people. The organization now operates two social enterprise dining locations, a catering business, and several community food access projects. Liberty’s Kitchen also trains young people to access employment and education in the food industry, and develops their leadership and advocacy skills as decision-makers in the development of their neighborhoods.[12]
References[edit]
- ↑ "EFOD Brown Paper 2019". EFOD. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ↑ "Equitable Development as a Tool to Advance Racial Equity". National Civic League. 2018-11-28. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
- ↑ McInroy, Neil (2018-09-01). "Wealth for all: Building new local economies". Local Economy. 33 (6): 678–687. doi:10.1177/0269094218803084. ISSN 0269-0942. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ "Equitable Food Oriented Development: A Justice-Forward Framework For Community Change". DAISA Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ↑ "EFOD in the U.S." EFOD. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ↑ "Kresge awards more than $1 million in grant funding to support Equitable Food Oriented Development efforts in eight cities". Kresge Foundation. 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ↑ "About". La Mujer Obrera. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ↑ "Wallace Center : Announcing the Second Cohort of Regional Food Economy Fellows". wallacecenter.org. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ↑ "About Us". Mandela Partners. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ↑ "Cultivating Equitable Food-Oriented Development: by PolicyLink on Exposure". Exposure. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ↑ "Our Story – Liberty's Kitchen". Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ↑ "Liberty's Kitchen helps disconnected youth with life, job and professional skills that help them create brighter futures". W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
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