Want to learn more about Washington state food systems, or begin a new food systems project? The Washington state food systems organizations below are engaged in the work and have a wealth of information and resources to offer.

State-level Food Systems Organizations

• Washington Food Policy Forum: The Forum was created through a Legislative budget provision in 2016, and formally established in statute in 2020 (RCW 89.50). The Forum is convened  in partnership by Washington State Conservation Commission, The Washington State Dept. of Agriculture, and the Office of Farmland Preservation. There are 41 appointed members representing organizations across the state.
  • Washington State Food Policy Forum Charter
  • Forum Reports and Resources
• Washington State University (WSU) Food Systems Program: A program of WSU Extension within the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences. The WSU Food Systems Program has seven focus areas and provides education resources for farmers, outreach to communities, and team-based research with farmers.
• WSU Food Systems Team: TheWSU Food Systems Team is a statewide affiliation of WSU faculty, staff and partner organizations who provide research-based information and educational programs for farmers, consumers, decision-makers, and others involved in local food system.

Regional Food Networks

• Gorge Grown Food Network:  Began in 2006 to increase access to locally grown produce in a five-county region in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon and Washington (Klickitat and Skamania Counties in WA). They started with a 2007-2010 Community Food Assessment. GGFN’s programs include a Farmers Market Network, School Garden Network, Food Security Coalition, and Food & Business Incubator.
• Palouse-Clearwater Food Coalition: Formed in 2011 to strengthen the food system by increasing production, distribution, and consumption of locally grown foods and agricultural products. The Food Coalition serves an eight-county region in southeastern WA and north central Idaho.
• Puget Sound Regional Council: The Regional Food Policy Council was established in 2010 to serve as the Metropolitan Planning Organization for King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Kitsap counties. Between 2012-14, the Regional Council developed planning guides to assist communities interested in incorporating food policy into their comprehensive plans.
• South Sound Food System Network: In 2016, three coalitions merged to become the SSFSN(Thurston Asset Building Coalition’s Food Hub, Thurston Thrives’ Food Action Team, and Sustainable Thurston). The SSFSN’s focus is on growing the local food economy, ensuring broad access to healthy foods, and environmental stewardship.

Counties’ Food System Planning Efforts

• Clark County Food System Council
  • Clark Food & Farm Network
  • Promoting Agricultural Food Production in Clark County (2013)
• King County Local Food Initiative: Launched in 2014, King County’s Local Food Initiative set targets to better connect local farms to consumers, increase access to healthy, affordable foods in underserved areas, support farmers and protect farmland, and create a sustainable farm-to-plate pipeline more resilient to the effects of climate change.
  • Local Food Initiative – Roadmap (2015)
  • King County Local Food Initiative Annual Report (2020)
• Kitsap
  • The Food Landscape in Kitsap County, Washington (2019)
  • 2017 Kitsap County Local Farms & Food Profile (infographic)
• San Juan County Food System Team: Convened in 2020 to develop a Food System Plan that will provide “a shared framework to guide collaborative decision making and equitably relocalize our county’s food system.”
  • San Juan County Community Food Assessment (draft report June 27, 2022)
• Spokane Food Policy Council: Estabhttps://www.whatcomcounty.us/DocumentCenter/View/71479/Whatcom-County-Adopted-Food-System-Plan-20230228?bidId=lished in 2013 to advocate for policies and strategic investments in the local food system.
  • Spokane Regional Food Action Plan 2022
• Whatcom Food System Committee: Formed in 2019 to draft, implement, and provide oversight for, and regularly update a county-wide food system plan to strengthen the local and regional food system. The Whatcom Food System Committee was born of the work of the Whatcom Food Network which formed in 2011 to increase communication, coordination, and collaboration among food system organizations.
  • Whatcom Food System Plan (August, 2023)
  • Story Map: How the Food System Plan was developed
  • Whatcom Community Food Assessment (Dec. 2021 Update Report)
• Whidbey Island: A Whidbey Island Agricultural Resource Committee has formed to work on a food system plan.
  • Whidbey Island Food System: Assets & Resources