How to Use This Site
We’ve designed the Local Foods Action Plan LA site for both the hobby gardener who prefers to linger in the top soil as well as the avid grower who is loves to dig deeper and get into the weeds! The site is composed of layers with more context, background, and information hidden just below the surface with the most comprehensive provided in our “Dig Deeper” section. Hobby gardeners should be able to stay just at the top layer and glean the information needed to understand the who, what, and how of LFAP LA where as our avid growers have moments at each juncture to “Dig Deeper” and learn more about not only the plan, but more about the work that is alive now as well as the work that has come before.
Regardless of your path, below is a glossary of terms and a icon and format key to help you along the way.
Finally, no matter the gardener you may be, we hope you decide to link up.
Helpful Terms and Concepts
- COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: a long-term strategic document created by a local government to guide the future development and growth of a community.
- CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE FOOD: the long-term alterations in temperature, precipitation, wind patterns, and other elements of the Earth’s climate system.
- FOOD SYSTEM: the dynamic network of steps involved in the production, processing, distribution, consumption, and disposal of food. It includes all the steps that food takes from farm to fork and so on.
- LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM: the production, processing, distribution, and consumption of food within a specific geographic area.
- LOCAL ECONOMY: the economic activities and transactions that take place within a specific geographic area. It emphasizes the interdependence of local businesses, residents, and resources, striving to create a sustainable and resilient economic system.
- NUTRITION: how food and drink affect health and growth. It involves the processes by which living organisms obtain and utilize the nutrients necessary for their survival, growth, and overall quality of life.
- ORDINANCE: a law or regulation passed by a local government authority related to local affairs, including zoning, land use, building codes, and public health.
- BIPOC: stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. BIPOC is used in discussions to foster solidarity and recognize the diverse experiences of racial minorities.
- WABANAKI: means “People of the Dawnland”. Wabanaki refers to the group of Indigenous peoples in the northeastern part of North America.
- SOMALI BANTU: are are ethnic group of Bantu-speaking peoples from East and Central Africa. They are culturally different from the rest of the Somali population.
Reading the Entire Plan
We are planning to release a printable PDF version of the plan and some additional website functionality. However, we know many will wish to review the plan in its entirety. There is no “right” path to follow to view the plan. The plan is organized into high-level “Goals” and specific “Actions” to be taken.
If you would like to read the entire plan, we recommend that you start by reviewing the Goals pages and then make your way to the Actions page, where all of our actions, including dormant and statewide work are listed.
Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed as additional website functionality is released.
Icon and Format Key
TIP: Hover over icons as they appear throughout the site to be reminded of what they mean.
Increase
Integrate
Strengthen
Build
Build Food Culture and Identity
Integrate Agriculture & Climate Resilience
Strengthen Food Stablity & Economic Growth
Increase Land Access and Justice
You will notice that LFAP LA’s four goals have correlating colors and icons. These icons and colors will show up on the top of each of our fifteen action pages to indicate the one or more goals that particular action moving our community towards.
This action appeared in our first plan and continues to yield harvests.
This action is appearing in our plan for the first time, it just sprouted.
This action is looking for the right conditions - capacity and resources, so it may sprout.
Now in it’s second phase of existence, the LFAP LA is comprised of actions in different “stages of growth” from actions developed for the first plan that continue to be active and yield harvests, to newly “sprouted” actions that appear for the first time in the udpated plan. Additionally, we have a category of actions that were not quite ready to germinate and make it into this plan. We believe however, that with the right conditions – capacity and resources – they can sprout. We call these actions “dormant. ” The following icons help to indicate the growth stages of the action: sprout, harvest, dormant