FOOD SECURITY SUMMIT

THURS

NOV 19

8:30-4:30 PM

Theme: Food is Medicine

Join us for the annual, all-day Food Security Summit, bringing together partners to strengthen connections, share knowledge, and advance collective action toward a more resilient and sustainable food system that supports the health and well-being of our community.

RSVP

Thursday, Nov 19
Valley River Inn, Eugene
8:00 am Registration
8:30 am Event Starts

AGENDA

Plenary Speaker

In recognition of this year’s theme, Food is Medicine, we are excited to welcome Daphne Miller, MD, a practicing family physician, science writer, Clinical Professor at UC San Francisco, and Research Scientist at UC Berkeley School of Public Health.

Dr. Miller is Leadership Faculty with the Lifelong Family Medicine Residency Program, where she partners with Urban Tilth, a local farm, to teach doctors-in-training about the connections among food, soil, community, and health. Her work offers a unique perspective on how the health of people, communities, and the land are deeply interconnected.

Morning: Breakout Sessions

Choose from three concurrent breakout sessions exploring key issues and opportunities related to farms and food production, food security, processing and infrastructure, and health and healthcare. Sessions will provide opportunities to learn from local partners, share perspectives, and identify opportunities for greater collaboration.

Afternoon: Food Justice Panel & Participatory Mapping

The afternoon will begin with a plenary panel exploring food justice and the experiences, challenges, and opportunities shaping equitable access to food across our region.

We’ll conclude the Summit with an interactive food systems mapping session. Attendees will bring insights from the day’s conversations to help inform a regional food systems map being developed by Grow Lane County in partnership with Dr. Yao Chang of the University of Oregon.

“Come ready to learn, connect, contribute, and help shape the future of our regional food system.”

2025 SUMMIT AGENDA

The 2025 Summit brought together food system stakeholders to build trust, share stories and learn from each other.

Barriers to Food Security

Rooted in a diverse set of engagement strategies, including stakeholder interviews, online community feedback surveys, analysis of existing reports and data, and research of food coalitions and councils across Oregon - the Lane County Food Security Assessment identified the following central barriers to local food security.

  • Limited transportation

  • Pantry hours and frequency

  • Nutrition and cooking education

  • Insufficient infrastructure for local producers

  • Coordination, collaboration and communication

Strategic Recommendations

To address these barriers, augment food security and build a more resilient and sustainable local food system, the Grow Lane County Project and the emerging Food Security Coalition are uniquely positioned to support the development and implementation of the following goals

  • Expand transportation services, food pantry hours, food pantry resources, and the

    availability and awareness of other food security resources

    • Increase nutrition and cooking education and local producer support

  • • Foster coordination, collaboration & communication

  • Support community gardens

  • Invest in the development of a Food Security Coalition

  • Develop an online food security dashboard