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The Kansas Food Policy Council Coordinator: Dan Nagengast, nagengast@earthlink.net Goals Participating Organizations The Governor's Role HOW IT BEGAN: The Kansas Food Policy Council (KFPC) was launched on Sept. 29, 2005 with an event and announcement at Cottonwood School in Salina. The Council is part of Governor Kathleen Sebelius’ Healthy Kansas Initiative. Two years of funding, ($120,000) was secured for the Kansas Rural Center through the USDA Community Foods Project Program. The Governor committed in-kind support in the form of employee salaries and expenses as matching funds. She directed the cooperation of several agencies, including Agriculture, Commerce, Aging, Social and Rehabilitative Services (SRS), Education and the Rural Life Task Force. The primary objective of the KFPC is to bring together a diverse group of public and private sector stakeholders to examine food systems in the state. The KFPC makes policy recommendations regarding ways in which the food system and related practices can be improved to enhance the health of the Kansas population, strengthen local economies and market opportunities, improve coordination and efficiency, protect the environment, and reduce hunger and food insecurity. The KFPC operates throughout Kansas under the sponsorship of Governor Kathleen Sebelius and her administration. Membership on the KFPC includes both governmental and private sector representatives from all aspects of the Kansas food system (production, distribution, marketing and consumers). The KFPC serves as a venue for coordinating governmental and private sector interests and activities, with efforts focused primarily in three areas:
ORganizations Involved at Inception The following groups, with the assistance of Governor Kathleen Sebelius, initially organized the Kansas Food Policy Council.
Other parties are being added as they are identified, including:
The Governor provides a leadership role, encouraging the formation of the Food Policy Council and insuring that Departments and Agencies participate as information providers and full partners in implementation of agreed to activities. Often, Food Policy Councils operate in the nebulous area between and among state agencies, private service providers, non-profits, for-profits, the Universities and Extension. As such, they exist as on-going stakeholder meetings, continually supplying information back to the Governor. Agreed upon activities may or may not seek the Governor’s assistance in implementation, though this would always be necessary for tasks involving State Agencies and Departments. The Food Policy Council would not take public positions contrary to the Governor’s policies. Rather, it would seek to work with the Governor to advance positions agreed to by all. Coordinator of the KFPC is Dan Nagengast, Executive Director of the Kansas Rural Center, and Co-Coordinator of the Governor’s Rural Life Task Force. He will chair the Regional Food Systems and Human Health and the Environment Task Forces. Barbara LaClair, M.H.A. chairs the Food Security Task Force Funding for this two year project comes from USDA with a substantial non-cash match from the Kansas State Administration. Kansas Rural Center Links Who We Are Projects Calendar & News Policy & Advocacy Publications Wind Projects Heartland Network Kansas Food Policy Council Clean Water Farms Project Links Home Page © Copyright
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