About the North America Local Food Dialogue

This is a big year for food. Globally, the UN’s Food Systems Summit will bring together science, business, healthcare and academic communities with farmers, Indigenous people, youth, local governments, and others to accelerate the Decade of Action for the SDGs. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is leading much of this work with partners, including ICLEI, to ensure the voice of cities, towns and counties is represented. At the same time in the U.S., the Biden Administration is leading a series of dialogues, led by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). ICLEI is gathering our network to provide input both globally and domestically for how we can build a better food system that promotes equity and nutrition.

This North America Local Food Dialogue on Inclusive Food Systems, hosted by City of New Haven and ICLE, is intended to be the U.S. local moment for official contribution from cities and counties to the proceedings. We aim to collate interests, issues, and priorities of local governments — including on food sustainability, security and resilience — in order to submit the outcomes to both FAO at the global level and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) within the U.S.