Nine years have passed since former Governor Brian Schweitzer convened the last Governor’s Local Food and Agriculture Summit. At that time, one major topic was how more of the food grown and raised in Montana could be used in the state to benefit our communities. An incredible amount of work has happened on that front since the last summit. There is, however, plenty of work that still needs to be done.
Montanans caring about these issues will have another chance to come together, share information, and strategize about the next 10 years of working to build the state’s food economy. The Grow Montana Food Policy Coalition is working with other partners, including the Montana Governor’s Office, Montana Department of Agriculture, and Montana State University, to plan the 2016 Governor’s Local Food and Agriculture Summit.
The summit is structured around topical tracks. Attendees will be asked to pick a track and stay with it for a good part of the summit, so they can take an in-depth look at the topics, identify challenges that exist, and brainstorm ways to address them. The tracks will be a mixture of panel presentations, small group discussions, and attendees prioritizing next steps. All of the tracks will report out their top recommendations at the summit’s conclusion.
The purpose of the Governor's Local Food and Agriculture Summit is to convene a broad cross-section of Montanans to:
- Celebrate programs that are currently improving the creation of a Montana-based food economy;
- Learn about efforts to continue developing local food systems that support producers, consumers, and communities;
- Discuss how to continue improving Montana’s food processing and distribution capacity;
- Develop ideas about how working together we can increase access to healthier and more nutritious food for all Montanans;
- Connect why local foods are important to improving the food system for both producers and consumers on a national scale;
- Learn about agriculture production and how local food systems can help diversify the industry;
- Develop collaborative goals and action steps to grow a sustainable local food system in the face of climate change and environmental pressures.
