On July 15th, 2021, SOFSA unveiled the long-awaited FoodPlanCNY alongside two partners: the Onondaga County Agriculture Council and the Syracuse-Onondaga County Planning Agency. The event took place at the Central New York Regional Market, and featured speakers Mayor Ben Walsh, County Executive J. Ryan McMahon II, Onondaga County Commissioner of Health Dr. Indu Gupta, SUNY ESF President Joanie Mahoney, and SOFSA’s very own Professors Jonnell A. Robinson and Matthew Potteiger, the latter of whom acted as one of the principal researchers for the project (Chair of the County Legislature David Knapp was also on hand to serve as emcee).
Along with the late Professor Evan Weissman and a number of student researchers, Professor Potteiger interviewed representatives from more than 50 organizational stakeholders in the process of creating the plan, including food bankers, farmers, and food workers. According to Professor Robinson, the plan “is a roadmap for us to go forward and improve access to land, [and] improve wages in the food sector. Many of us learned that our food providers were essential personnel during COVID. Well, now we know what some of those folks are lacking, and this gives us an opportunity to think about some of these inequalities.”
“FoodPlanCNY is a roadmap for us to go forward and improve access to land, [and] improve wages in the food sector. Many of us learned that our food providers were essential personnel during COVID. Well, now we know what some of those folks are lacking, and this gives us an opportunity to think about some of these inequalities.”
Jonnell Robinson, Professor of Community geography & SoFSA Advisory Board member
Visit the links below to explore coverage of the event from WAER 88.3 and Syracuse.com, and keep an eye on SOFSA’s social media channels for photos from the day!