Becomes Second City in Metro Atlanta to Intentionally Plan for Vibrant, Healthy Local Food System
The City of Alpharetta officially adopted their City Agriculture Plan on Monday December 12th. The comprehensive Plan was formulated over the year, with input from hundreds of residents who attended a half dozen meetings to brainstorm ideas of what a healthy and vibrant local food system could look like and how to achieve that.
Food Well Alliance and the Atlanta Regional Commission selected the City of Alpharetta as the second metro city to develop a City Agriculture Plan. These two community organizations guided the process during 2022. Food Well Alliance will provide $75,000 in funding, which the City of Alpharetta will match, to help the community bring the Plan to life.
During the community engagement phase six key themes emerged as being very important to residents. They included education; increasing access to Locally grown food; community connectivity and empowerment; homeowners association (HOA) regulations; sustainability and green Spaces; and compost and reducing food waste. The steering committee, which included city leaders and residents, used these six themes to formulate priority areas of focus for the plan’s recommendations. These include supporting local growers; cultivating a sense of place; sustainable stewardship; and city initiatives and partnerships. There are short-, medium-, and long-term recommendations included in the plan, with implementation expecting to take 2-5 years at a minimum.
“The community worked hard, alongside Food Well Alliance, the ARC and city staff, to get to the point where we have an official plan in place for our agriculture program. We look forward to implementing the Plan and bringing the great ideas the community brought forth to life in our parks, streetscapes, and developments,” said City of Alpharetta Director of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Services, Morgan Rodgers. “We like to have fun in Alpharetta, and it’s fun to grow in ways that will benefit the community well into the future.”
“Residents made it clear over the past year that they are passionate about growing, sharing, and supporting local food. This Plan will integrate those priorities into to Alpharetta’s existing policies, programs, and future development,” said Food Well Alliance Policy and Planning Manager Sarah Brown.
Supporting and growing Alpharetta’s community food system will involve strengthening the relationships between local food producers, distributors, and consumers. The Plan will convene community stakeholders and local leadership, and when implemented the recommendations will build connections, support local ecosystems and soil health, increase access to healthy food, and create entrepreneurial opportunities to bolster the local economy. The full Alpharetta City Agriculture Plan can be found on the City of Alpharetta website here: bit.ly/3W0l4qP
The City of Alpharetta remained a small, largely agrarian community through the early 1980’s, but shortly thereafter the city blossomed into one of the most prosperous communities in the United States. The community that had a population of only 3,000 in 1980 today is home to more than 65,000 residents and sees its population swell to more than 120,000 each workday. Grounded in our small-town heritage but with our eyes set firmly to the future, we are awesome Alpharetta, Georgia. Follow the city of Alpharetta at www.alpharetta.ga.us, @CityofAlpharetta, @AlpharettaParks, and @farmatoldruckerpark.
Food Well Alliance is a collaborative network of local leaders working to build thriving community gardens and urban farms across metro Atlanta. The mission of Food Well Alliance is to provide resources and support to local growers to connect and build healthier communities. Our vision is for an equitable, local food ecosystem in which everyone can participate and benefit. Today, we support more than 120 community gardens and 35 urban farms in Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, and Clayton counties. www.foodwellalliance.org, @foodwellalliance
The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is the official planning agency for the 10-county Atlanta Region, including Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties as well as the City of Atlanta and 73 other cities. The Atlanta Regional Commission serves as a catalyst for regional progress by focusing leadership, attention and planning resources on key regional issues. www.atlantaregional.org, @planatlanta