TUPPER LAKE — The 6th annual Food Justice Summit for the Adirondacks will take place on Thursday, Feb. 29 from 8:30 am to 5 p.m. at The Wild Center, 45 Museum Drive, Tupper Lake.
Individuals from all 12 counties of the Adirondack Park will gather at this event to discuss pressing topics related to equitable food systems. Its purpose is to empower those in attendance to become advocates for food justice and to create lasting, positive change in their communities.
The theme of this year’s summit is “Stronger Together: Growing Partnerships to Transform Local Food Systems” and will feature presentations, community informed discussions, and panels about food production, consumption, distribution, processing and food waste management. The day will bring together a wide range of stakeholders: farmers, health care professionals, students, community members, and many more.
Two keynotes will bookend the daylong summit. Cortney Renton of The Proofing Station, an organization that increases access to capital for small and mid-sized entities in the Midwest regional food and agriculture supply chain, will deliver the morning keynote.
The closing session will feature Stuart DeCew, Executive Director at the Yale Center for Business and the Environment, who will share insights and strategies for stronger collaboration and partnerships.
Throughout the day, attendees will have the opportunity to learn, share, and participate in collaborative approaches to food problems facing our region. Among the dozen sessions available to participants, topics on the agenda include:
• Co-Branding for Local Farms
• Engaging Health Care in Food Systems Development
• Honoring and Growing Our Local Food Culture
• Food As Medicine
• In Defense of Neighboring: Feeding People Beyond the Market/Charity Binary
• Food Policy 101
• Innovations in Farming
The summit is hosted by the Adirondack Food System Network, a collaborative regional food council led by multiple organizations to better understand system-wide issues, identify gaps, and pursue realistic solutions to help strengthen and promote a more resilient regional food system through collective and equitable partnership.
The event welcomes participation by all who are interested in learning more about food justice in our regional food system. To attend, register at the Food Justice Summit event page on Adirondack Food System Network’s website: www.adkfoodsystem.org/event-details/2024-food-justice-summit