Big threats to a just and resilient food system call for a powerful response, and the members of the RI Food Policy Council stepped up to come together to achieve a number of hard-won victories. One of the biggest changes we made this year was a change in our own structure. In May 2023, the Council voted to alter its structure to be more aligned with its deep commitment to equity. As opposed to its old structure – and the structures of most food policy councils across the country – RIFPC now welcomes ALL people who want to work together to support our mission to be Council members. As long as you agree to abide by our Meeting Agreements and participate in one of our Work Groups, you are in!  Council members carry the power of the network with them when they go into the State House, and our new structure allows this power to be distributed more evenly across our state, laying the groundwork for progress toward justice and resilience.

Throughout this report you will learn more about our victories, meet some of our amazing members, and get a look at our ambitious plans for 2024. In 2023, we:

• Fought for our state’s critical farmland protection programs, leveraging $2.5 million for them in partnership with legislative champions
• Maintained an increase in state support for the Rhode Island Local Agriculture and Seafood Act Grant Program which provides small grants that support our beginning farmers and fishers
• Joined forces with partners like the RI Community Food Bank and the RI Healthy Schools Coalition to advance legislation to bring free healthy school meals to all public school students
• Launched our groundbreaking Food System Metrics Dashboard and refreshed our Municipal Food Systems Factsheets and created a new accompanying Toolkit for municipalities
• Helped scores of farms, fishers, and food businesses to apply for state and Federal funding, which in turn resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars flowing into this critical economic sector
• Supported the state in updating its food strategy, which, when published next year, will set out a vision and a detailed plan of action for improving the state’s food system by 2030

These victories benefit all Rhode Islanders, and they help make our state a national leader in supporting small and beginning farmers and fishers, cultivating underserved food entrepreneurs, and integrating food systems priorities into long-range climate policy and state plans.

Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. RIFPC is here to make sure that we can be our own local food superheroes as well. Our network has proven time and time again that real change is possible, and in fact inevitable, when we believe in ourselves, stay open to understanding the perspectives of others, and work together toward the common goal of a just and resilient food system. Thank you all for your ongoing support of RIFPC!

Sincerely,

Nessa Richman