The city of Austin adopted its first food plan Oct. 10, with the Travis County Commissioners Court expected to vote on the plan in the upcoming weeks, according to a press release.

The Office of Sustainability and Travis County originally introduced the food plan in June 2021 to target rising food insecurity in Austin. The final plan contains nine goals varying from strengthening local food production to restoring agricultural land. Amanda Rohlich, Office of Sustainability food policy advisor, said goal six —  expanding food access — was among the top issues brought up by community members.

“Food access is becoming more and more important in Austin (and) Travis County as the high cost of living in an urban core pushes lower income residents into more rural areas of the county,” Rohlich said. 

UT Outpost, which provides a free on-campus food pantry for students, shared input on the food plan. Valeria Martin, the assistant director for basic needs and Terry Scholars, said she wanted to advocate for college students in Austin. 

“Students often are enrolled full time in classes and don’t have enough time to have a 40-hour a week job,” Martin said. “All of these things can really impact a student’s ability to have the finances to be able to support themselves.”

Nitakuwa Barrett Orsak, operations director and program manager of the division of community engagement and health equity at Dell Medical School, collaborated with the Office of Sustainability to gather community information through “World Café Conversations.” These conversations brought different communities together to discuss themes and goals to implement into the plan. The division and the Office of Sustainability prioritized key populations such as seniors, farmers, rural communities, Spanish-speakers and people experiencing homelessness.

Rohlich said part of the inspiration of the food plan was the aftermath of natural disasters, including the 2021 Winter Storm Uri, as the way the food system broke down for the community drew policymakers to want to improve the system.  

“It’s been really inspirational to see so many people come out and join around the table, to have this conversation around our food system, and it’s just really heartening to see everyone get excited about this,” Rohlich said.