Goals

Based on community input received through community meetings, surveys, and focus groups, the following goals were identified:

Goal 1: Increase and Ensure Access to Healthy Food for All

Photograph of plants for sale

Education

  • Support farm-to-school efforts in K-12 schools such as agriculture and nutrition education in classrooms, school gardens, and outdoor classrooms.
  • Establish a directory of locations where fresh fruits and vegetables can be donated.

Gardening

  • Create more community gardens, ensuring they are distributed equitably throughout Lincoln and in areas of highest need, and ensure they are easily accessible by public transportation, bike, and/or foot.
  • Promote home gardening, including container gardening.
  • Encourage community gardeners, home gardeners, and farmers' market vendors to partner with the Food Bank of Lincoln, food pantries, and meal distribution programs to donate fresh produce.

Policy/City Leadership

  • Encourage local institutions that serve meals to source local food.
  • Explore opportunities to attract grocery stores to neighborhoods lacking access to fresh food.

Goal 2: Invest in a Thriving Local Food and Farm Community to Increase Local Food Production and Food Security

Photograph of people exchanging money at farmer's market

Commercial Kitchen(s)

  • Revisit the 2019 feasibility report “Developing a Kitchen Incubator for Lincoln, Nebraska” to determine sufficient interest in commercial kitchens that would serve as business incubation space for food system entrepreneurs and community organizations. Partner with Lincoln Public Schools, Southeast Community College and other institutions to develop an action plan.

Education

  • Conduct periodic farm and food business tours with residents, local officials, and economic development leaders.
  • Educate community members about the benefits of locally sourced food.

Food Hubs/Aggregators

  • Collaborate with local and regional producers in Lancaster County as well as neighboring counties to assess their local food aggregation, processing, and distribution needs.
  • Conduct a market analysis for food hubs that could aggregate, process, and efficiently distribute locally grown food across the region, helping producers access larger markets.

Infrastructure

  • Explore expanding leasing access to suitable city-owned properties for commercial growing purposes after proper environmental assessment.
  • Approach other governmental subdivisions (Lincoln Airport Authority, Lancaster County Board, Lincoln Public Schools, Lower Platte South NRD, University of Nebraska Lincoln) about designating undeveloped properties with good quality soils for commercial food production.
  • Encourage extension of growing season through the use of hoop houses/high tunnels, green houses, etc.
  • Encourage more farmers' markets to be open year-round by investing in infrastructure improvements (such as investments in storage for vendors’ supplies or a covered structure to protect vendors’ goods from inclement weather). These improvements should also be considered for the year-round farmers' markets.

Marketing

  • Conduct a coordinated promotional campaign to encourage Lincoln residents to start growing some of their own food, whether in their own yards or in containers on patios, balconies, or windowsills.

Policy/City Leadership

  • Assist institutional purchasers (UNL, schools, hospitals, etc.) to adopt local food purchasing percentage targets and create a model policy for the preferential purchasing of local food by public and private institutions.
  • Continue to promote public-private partnerships that build stronger food networks and advance urban agriculture.
  • Consider economic development programs to support small food and farm businesses, including a low-interest revolving loan fund. Ensure that these programs are accessible to ethnic/minority food businesses and farms.
  • Seek out grant opportunities from state, federal and philanthropic organizations to assist with and support feasibility studies, and capital and operating expenses, as appropriate, for a food hub/commercial kitchen.
  • Consider incentives for grocers/restaurants/institutions to buy locally sourced food.

Goal 3: Promote Food Production Practices that Protect Soil, Water, and Air

Photograph of person in field

Education

  • Partner with local organizations to encourage the development of workshops and career academies that provide training and assistance to home/market gardeners, beginning farmers, and experienced growers.

Policy/City Leadership

  • Continue to administer City of Lincoln farm management contracts to require sustainable, regenerative agriculture practices to increase crop yield, lower production costs, and sequester carbon.

Soil Conservation/Protection

  • Encourage the use of native plantings, cover crops, mulch, and ground cover for erosion and runoff prevention.

Water Conservation/Protection

  • Promote conservation tillage or no-till gardening alongside any other management practices that aid in carbon sequestration, increasing water infiltration, holding capacity, and stormwater mitigation.

Goal 4: Reduce Food Waste

Photograph of produce from garden

Infrastructure

  • Evaluate opportunities for food waste diversion into composting or other beneficial uses.

Policy/City Leadership

  • Compile information on existing food recovery, gleaning, and composting programs in Lincoln and Lancaster County and encourage all agencies with points of contact in the food system to cross-promote food recovery efforts.
  • Support the coordination of pantries and emergency food providers to improve recovery of safe, healthy food from area retail food outlets.
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