Mr. Will Allen, Chief Executive Officer of Milwaukee's Growing Power has received a MacArthur Fellowship award of $500,000 to help further his work or providing food to everyone equally through his urban farming efforts. Will Allen and his daughter Erika Allen (who works with the Chicago division of Growing Power) are both long time advisory board members of the Food & Farm Network.

Read more on the official John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation website about Mr. Allen and the recent award to Growing Power here.

See a video featuring Will himself speaking of his work and the importance of food justice actions here.

The Food Policy Advisory Committee formed in Spring 2007, bringing together a diverse group of food system stakeholders to inform policy makers about ways to improve healthy food access in New Orleans. They have met five times, and in January 2008, they will provide the New Orleans City Council with recommendations on strategies to improve the local food system. Representing a diverse array of interests, members include individuals from the public health sector, the supermarket and grocery business, the field of finance, and local citizens including a member of Grow New Orleans. The Community Food Charter was presented at their November meeting to provide a community voice to guide the Food Policy Advisory Committee’s recommendations.

The Food & Farm Network has collaborated with other local organizations to coordinate the Food Policy Advisory Committee, including the Prevention Research Center at Tulane School of Public Health, Steps for a Healthier New Orleans, Second Harvest of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, and the Renaissance Project.

The term "food security" may not be a familiar term, but it is an important concept critical to the growing "food justice" movement. To clarify what food security and food justice mean, we have provided some definitions from varied sources including the United States Department of Agriculture, the Community Food Security Coalition, and other organizations working to improve food systems:

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