Central Texas Regional Food System Council

Significant population growth and urbanization, rapidly increasing costs of living, and inflation have contributed to rising food insecurity rates in Central Texas. Food banks and other charitable organizations are challenged to meet this growing need and address the root causes of food insecurity and hunger. Sustainable solutions to increase food security and food justice require strengthening the regional food system.

The simultaneous decline of farms and farmland underscores significant challenges in the food supply chain and highlights constraints in satisfying the demand for nutritious food through local agricultural production. County-specific efforts can only go so far: thus, a regional, cross-county approach to preserve farmland and increase farm viability is imperative. Regional food councils have a demonstrated history of bolstering local and regional resources for thriving food systems.

CTX RFSC builds on existing momentum and assessments and is a natural progression of work already underway in Central Texas.

2018

• The City of Austin led the first attempt at regional food system planning through the development of the Central Texas Foodshed Collaborative, which convened from 2018-2022. This collaborative ultimately disbanded due to the constraints of operating out of a single local government instead of a regional, community-facing entity. Rather, the City of Austin redirected efforts toward compiling and centralizing food system data and investing in feasibility studies, laying the foundation for future efforts.

• The Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty published the Toolkit for Developing and Strengthening Hunger Free Community Coalitions. They established multiple Hunger Free Community Coalitions (HFCCs), including four in Central Texas (e.g., Waco, Bastrop County, Bell County, and Burnet County).

2019

• Sustainable Food Center conducted a feasibility study for a Central Texas Food Hub that would allow small to mid-sized farms to meet larger-volume demand in Central Texas. Recommendations highlighted the need for increased region-wide collaboration to address external challenges facing producers. Regional leadership and coordination are still needed to implement strategies from this report.

2022

• Central Texas Food Bank assumed leadership as the backbone organization for a centralized food system data initiative.

2023

• To provide a shared measurement system for tracking key food system indicators, Central Texas Food Bank launched the Central Texas Food System Dashboard, which includes food environment, food system, and food access data for all 21 counties in Central Texas.

• Central Texas Food Bank launched Food Access Community Needs Assessments (CNAs), using a combination of surveys, interviews, and focus groups with community stakeholders to identify gaps and opportunities in the food system. CNAs build on the Food System Dashboard to reveal community assets and strengths, food and nutrition (in)security patterns, upstream and downstream barriers, and individual coping strategies, resulting in hyper-local views of the food system, food environment, and food access in a given county and/or region. A recurring theme from the CNAs has been the need for regional coordination, alignment, and infrastructure to act on strategic recommendations.

• The City of Austin released a supply chain vulnerability assessment for Austin/Travis County that addressed the current state of food production, food processing, food distribution, food markets and retail, food labor, and food recovery. The study clearly identified the need to increase and enhance farmer support, scale local production, increase demand for local food purchasing from large retailers and institutional buyers, and invest in a food hub.

2024

• The City of Austin’s supply chain vulnerability assessment informed the creation of an Austin/Travis County Food Plan, finalized in fall 2024. The Food Plan includes a recommendation for local food plan efforts to coordinate and align with regional efforts: precisely what the CTX RFSC will accomplish.

• The Bastrop County Local Food Action Plan was released. Among suggested projects, there were interventions that aligned with priorities identified through the Austin/Travis County food planning process, including the need for a food hub. These synergies highlight the opportunity for identifying shared goals, building capacity through regional partnerships, and scaling efforts through integrated, cross-county planning.

By connecting local, regional, and cross-sector interventions, the CTX RFSC will build capacity for integrated food system infrastructure, community collaboration, and the expansion of mid-tier value chains, all of which require coordinated approaches.