2025/01/01 by Carrie Draper, Zachary Herrnstadt, Ashley Page Bookhart · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Health Professions · #Agricultural Innovations and Practices #Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations #Organic Food and Agriculture
paper · pdf · doi:10.5304/jafscd.2025.143.011
openalex publication_date 2025/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/06/07 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/26
Communities have formed food policy councils (FPCs) to address inequities in the food system by advancing policy, system, and environmental change (PSE) strategies, including through the SNAP-Ed program, but this approach has not been studied. To address this gap, we employed a case study approach with the aim of exploring (1) components of readiness for groups to start an FPC; (2) sector and priority population engagement in FPCs; (3) PSE strategies adopted as a result of FPC efforts; and (4) capacity for the future sustainability of FPCs receiving funding and ongoing training and technical assistance as a part of SNAP-Ed programming. Seven South Carolina groups interested in starting FPCs in partnership with SNAP-Ed participated in the study. They were interviewed to explore their readiness, submitted ongoing tracking documents on engagement and PSE strategies, and completed sustainability assessment surveys and interviews. Groups demonstrated motivation and capacity to start or expand FPCs, though capacity-building needs were also identified. Engagement increased over a two-year period where ‘government or elected officials,’ ‘education,’ and ‘business/economic development’ became the most engaged sectors, while priority populations were most commonly engaged through a ‘consult’ or ‘inform’ approach. Forty-nine PSE strategies were adopted, with ‘initiation, improvement, expansion, reinvigoration, or maintenance of edible gardens’ being the most common strategy implemented and ‘community organization’ the most common setting. Capacity for future sustainability of FPC scores increased over time for ‘funding stability,’ ‘organizational capacity,’ and ‘adaptation’ domains, while other domains decreased. Results demonstrate evidence to justify the continuation of funding for FPCs through SNAP-Ed to advance PSE strategies. Further exploration is needed on how to ensure sustainability and that people eligible for SNAP-Ed are the ones leading FPCs.