Food Policy Report

Growing Food Policy in LA: Tracking Policies in 2015

Urban agriculture made many advances in Los Angeles last year. Everywhere one turns, new urban agriculture projects are popping up and thriving, whether it’s edible landscapes, community and school gardens, or urban farming enterprises. Innovative educational programs and groundbreaking research projects have empowered urban gardeners to re-establish Los Angeles as an urban agricultural paradise. The high level of interest and concern for food growing in urban areas has compelled local politicians to take note. Urban ‘agtivists’ and members of the LAFPC Urban Agriculture Working Group, a network of stakeholders committed to expanding urban agriculture in Los Angeles, have worked with City leaders over the past year to push for policies that improve fresh food access and enhance green spaces in underserved neighborhoods. Here is a look at the Food Policy Council’s latest news and accomplishments in their policy tracker:

The Los Angeles Food Policy Tracker 2015
by the UCLA Resnick Program for Food and Law Policy in partnership with the Los Angeles Food Policy Council
On October 23, 2013, the Los Angeles City Council officially recognized “Food Day,” an annual day to bring awareness to our food system and the policies that dictate it. In that spirit, this inaugural Los Angeles Food Policy Tracker documents food policies undertaken in Los Angeles since October 24th of 2012, when the City of Los Angeles made a significant food policy commitment in the form of adopting the Good Food Purchasing Pledge. While the focus of this tracker is policy actions in the City of Los Angeles, substantial policy actions undertaken at the Los Angeles County level are also included. The tracker will be updated and re-released on an annual basis in order to monitor food policy developments. The table is divided into nine columns, each specifying information about a policy and providing a brief description, along with a reference to sources for more information.

View or download the tracker.

Are you an urban ‘agtivist’ interested in policy advocacy? Consider joining the Los Angeles Food Policy Council’s Urban Agriculture Working Group. For more information, contact the Chair Francesca de la Rosa at fdelarosa [at] worksusa [dot] org.

This policy update is brought to you by the Los Angeles Food Policy Council, a collective impact initiative working to build a Good Food system— where food is healthy, affordable, fair and sustainable— for all Los Angeles residents. Check out the Los Angeles Food Policy Council’s website, and sign up for their mailing list to receive timely updates on events and activities.