NYC Regional Foodshed Initiative
One part of a new national model, the New York City Regional Foodshed Initiative expands the preliminary analysis of the regional capacity to produce food and involves an in depth examination of the local food production capacity of the New York City. The initiative incorporates localized land use, soil type, transportation infrastructure, and climatic conditions to assess production at several scales, as well as actual consumption data for New York City. Additionally, the Initiative allows for comparison of existing regional production and distribution with potential regional production and distribution to identify concrete possibilities for enhancing regional capacity.
(Optimization Model) Project Funder: Rockefeller Brothers Fund
The goals of the foodshed analysis are to:
- Identify specific areas of vulnerability;
- Identify opportunities for foodshed enhancement;
- Quantify regional food production capacity and the region’s potential degree of self-sufficiency;
- Develop rigorous, quantitative data sets that can be used to justify policy interventions to protect and enhance the foodshed; and
- Increase access to affordable, healthful food in all NY neighborhoods.
The initiative will use geographic information system (GIS), other geospatial, data, and existing sources of consumption data to analyze and quantify:
- Existing food production in the NYC region;
- Potential production capacity and regional food needs that could be met within NYC region;
- Comparison between existing and potential production; and
- Steps to narrow the gap between existing and potential production.
Modeling Production, Processing and Distribution Infrastructure for A Resilient Regional Food System
Regionalizing the Food System for Public Health and Sustainability – NESAWG Conference
Project Partner: Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture