Equitable Food Economy Collaborative
Contact: Shea Flaherty Betin, email
The Equitable Food Economy Collaborative is a partnership between regional nonprofits, producers, Oregon State University, the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and Prosper Portland. These partners work together toward shared goals that will catalyze the development of an equitable and resilient regional food economy.
Prosper Portland convenes the partnership which is composed of community-based organizations and food system stakeholders, and provides direction and oversight to guide this food system development work.
The partnership’s vision is to work collaboratively to identify and achieve shared goals that address barriers to entrepreneurship and wealth building for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) producers.
Partners
Prosper Portland
Oregon State University (OSU)
Peter Platt, Andina Restaurant, Prosper Portland Commissioner (Advisory Role)
Goals
Reading Materials
Meet the Partners
Testimonials
“This project will help break ground on new ventures, encourage collaboration, and provide innovative solutions to connect Black, Indigenous, and people of color producers directly to local consumers. It’s exactly the sort of opportunity that the Local Agricultural Marketing Program seeks to create. I am confident that these leaders will set a strong example as to why we must continue to reform our food system to foster positive change and healthy food.”
Rep. Earl Blumenauer, U.S. Congress“We are inspired by this new opportunity to collaborate with so many regional partners to strengthen the viability and resilience of our regional food economy. We look forward to building partner capacity and engaging with the community as we build an action plan for the future.”
Kimberly Branam, Executive Director, Prosper Portland“ODA is proud to partner to help create a more equitable and inclusive food system. Ensuring all Oregonians can benefit from opportunities from farm to table from processing to disposal and access to healthy affordable and culturally appropriate food is an important step to building equity into our food system. An equitable food system will improve the health and economic vitality of communities across our great state.”
Alexis Taylor, Director, Oregon Department of Agriculture“We are proud to play a part in creating a collaborative to explicitly include – and prioritize – those who have been historically and systemically excluded from participating and prospering in the food economy. To grow a more inclusive food system requires empowering a range of organizations represented by our collaborative, and this work will result in positive social, economic, and environmental outcomes for our region, with a very specific focus on racial justice within the food system.”
Olivia Rebanal, Chief Impact Officer, Ecotrust“We are honored to be involved in this visionary collaboration. The people and organizations leading this project bring deep experience, broad expertise, and deep commitment. We need all three to embed equity and resilience in all aspects of our region’s complex food system.”
Lauren Gwin, Associate Director, Oregon State University Center for Small Farms & Community Food Systems
