Who we are
The Asheville-Buncombe Food Policy Council (ABFPC) is a community-based coalition in Buncombe County, North Carolina committed to policy improvements that create healthier food environments and improve healthy food access for all Buncombe County residents.
We work in specialized Working Groups bringing issues to our Policy Mobilization Hub for action influencing policy, advocacy and systems change. Our General Council is the governing body of the organization taking on administration, overall strategic planning, human resources and structural guidance.
Whether viewed through the lens of poverty, public health, local commerce, or sustainability, access to affordable, healthy, locally sourced food is crucial to our region’s success.
We work in specialized Working Groups bringing issues to our Policy Mobilization Hub for action influencing policy, advocacy and systems change. Our General Council is the governing body of the organization taking on administration, overall strategic planning, human resources and structural guidance.
Whether viewed through the lens of poverty, public health, local commerce, or sustainability, access to affordable, healthy, locally sourced food is crucial to our region’s success.
Click the above to check out our New Member Orientation!
interested in getting involved?
Find a Working Group that interests you by attending a Policy Mobilization Hub meeting!
Email coordinator@abfoodpolicy.org to find out about other ways to get involved.
Email coordinator@abfoodpolicy.org to find out about other ways to get involved.
mission and vision
Our mission is to identify, propose and advocate for policies, financial appropriations, and innovative solutions to improve and protect our local food system in order to advance economic development, social justice, environmental sustainability, and community resiliency.
Our vision is that all residents of Buncombe County have access to and the option to cultivate and prepare nutritious food within a resilient and sovereign foodshed that sustainably harvests and conserves farmland, forests, and water resources, sustains our population, collaborates with neighboring counties, and ensures a thriving agriculture-related economy.
Our vision is that all residents of Buncombe County have access to and the option to cultivate and prepare nutritious food within a resilient and sovereign foodshed that sustainably harvests and conserves farmland, forests, and water resources, sustains our population, collaborates with neighboring counties, and ensures a thriving agriculture-related economy.
HISTORY AND BACKGROUND
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Asheville and Buncombe County are often included in national “best of” lists. The growing local food movement and burgeoning, innovative dining and beer scene in the region has even led Asheville to be branded as “Foodtopia” by many.
However, this region also has the unwelcome distinction of making it onto the “top ten” list of most food insecure communities in the nation. Most recently, a 2013 report by the Food Research and Action Center ranks the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area as the ninth hungriest city in the nation, with more than 1 in 5 (21.8%) of residents experiencing “food hardship.” That same report ranked North Carolina as the tenth hungriest state in the nation.
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- At that time, a survey by Tyson Foods, Inc. listed North Carolina as the second most food insecure state in the nation, and another survey named Asheville as the nation’s 6th most food insecure metropolitan area.
- Learn more about the data behind food insecurity in the region in the ABFPC Food Insecurity White Paper (August 2011).
- The founding members of the ABFPC recognized a need for a local, community-driven entity to address food security, food justice, and food systems sustainability and access issues in Asheville and Buncombe County.
- Learn more about how the ABFPC was started in our Year One Snapshot Report (2012).
YEAR ONE SNAPSHOT REPORT
Asheville-Buncombe Food Policy Council Year One Snapshot
At the end of 2012, the Asheville-Buncombe Food Policy Council (AB FPC, or Council) turned one year old. Since its first meeting in October 2011, the AB FPC has generated a lot of momentum and discussion around food security and food policy issues in the Asheville/Buncombe County area of North Carolina. One year in, this report takes a look at where the Council has been, what is happening now, and where it wants to go over the next few years. It also examines what about how the Council is operating is working well and what could be working better to help the Council achieve its goals even more effectively.
This report compiles information gathered from a variety of sources including: key informant interviews with members of the founding core group for the AB FPC; surveys of cluster representatives; and surveys of General Council members.
Group to ask Asheville council for food-policy commitments | Carolina Public Press on January 18, 2013 at 1:16 pm
Asheville-Buncombe Food Policy Council Year One Snapshot
At the end of 2012, the Asheville-Buncombe Food Policy Council (AB FPC, or Council) turned one year old. Since its first meeting in October 2011, the AB FPC has generated a lot of momentum and discussion around food security and food policy issues in the Asheville/Buncombe County area of North Carolina. One year in, this report takes a look at where the Council has been, what is happening now, and where it wants to go over the next few years. It also examines what about how the Council is operating is working well and what could be working better to help the Council achieve its goals even more effectively.
This report compiles information gathered from a variety of sources including: key informant interviews with members of the founding core group for the AB FPC; surveys of cluster representatives; and surveys of General Council members.
Group to ask Asheville council for food-policy commitments | Carolina Public Press on January 18, 2013 at 1:16 pm
GET TO KNOW US
LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE
WORKING GROUPS
