Rogue Valley Community Food Assessment & Action Plan
Join Us for the 2026 Rogue Valley Community Food Summit!
Join us as we gather once again to shape the next chapter of the Rogue Valley’s food system. This year, we shift from unveiling the Action Plan to advancing it. Together, we will reflect on the progress made since the release of the five-year Community Food Assessment and Action Plan, celebrate early wins, and confront the challenges still ahead.
Building on the momentum generated at the 2025 Summit, we’ll dig deeper into the work underway across the region—expanding food access, strengthening the local food and farm economy, protecting soil and water, reducing food waste, and accelerating community-driven solutions. Through collaborative sessions, shared learning, and strategic working groups, we will chart bold next steps toward a more resilient, equitable, and connected Rogue Valley food system.
Whether you grow food, cook, advocate, distribute, or simply care about where your next meal comes from, your voice matters. Come connect, dream, and build with us as we imagine a more equitable, resilient, and thriving food system for the Rogue Valley. We hope to see you January 15 & 16, 2026! Click the link below to register today.
Building a Resilient Local Food System Together
The Rogue Valley is experiencing an extraordinary transformation in our local food system. From the surge in small-scale farming to the challenges of climate change, our community faces both exciting opportunities and significant challenges in creating a sustainable, equitable food system that serves everyone.
About the past Food Solutions Summit:
The Rogue Valley Community Food Solutions Summit was first held on March 16, 2023 at the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center to launch the region’s updated Jackson and Josephine County Community Food Assessment—our first comprehensive reassessment since 2013. The 2023 Summit brought together farmers, ranchers, food access partners, health professionals, educators, advocates, and community members to share their knowledge, lived experience, and vision for the future of food and farming in the Rogue Valley. Their insights directly shaped the priorities, questions, and community-driven focus of the new assessment.
In January 2025, the Summit reconvened to unveil the completed Rogue Valley Community Food Assessment and the region’s first five-year Food Action Plan. Participants explored key findings, celebrated early successes, and helped identify pathways for collaboration across the four goal areas: ensuring access to healthy food, strengthening the local food and farm economy, protecting soil and water, and reducing food waste.
Now, as we move into the next phase of regional implementation, the Food Solutions Summit continues to serve as our shared table—where partners come together to build relationships, align efforts, refine strategies, and advance the collective work of transforming the Rogue Valley food system. Click here to see the notes from each session.
The Vision:
A thriving, equitable, and resilient food system in the Rogue Valley that supports:
Four Priority Goals
- Reduce Hunger and Ensure Access for All: Making healthy, fresh, affordable food available to all community members
- Invest in Our Local Food and Farm Economy: Supporting farmers, food producers, and businesses to strengthen our regional economy
- Protect and Restore Soil and Water Health: Protecting our soil and water resources through sustainable farming practices
- Reduce Food Waste: Creating efficient systems to minimize waste and maximize resource use
Why This Matters
Our assessment, involving over 2,000 community members, reveals both challenges and opportunities:
- 50% increase in local producers since 2012
- Growing interest in local food production and distribution
- Need for improved infrastructure to support small farms
- Critical importance of addressing food security and climate resilience
Get Involved
Your participation is vital to creating a stronger food system. Here’s how you can help:
- Join working groups focused on our priority goals
- Connect with local food system initiatives
- Support local farmers and food producers
- Share your expertise and ideas
Ready to Make a Difference?
Your participation is vital to creating a stronger food system. Here’s how you can help:
- Email: alison@rvfoodsystem.org
- Follow us on social media:
Together, we can build a food system that nourishes our community, supports our farmers, and protects our environment for generations to come.
- Ag Inputs (Soil, Water, Industry Resources)
- Food Systems Infrastructure (Manufacturing, processing, storage and distribution)
- Production (farming, ranching, fisherfolk)
- Consumer Demand and Marketing (includes Agritourism)
- Nutrition (Education and Access)
- Food Access and Food Insecurity
- Emergency Food Resources and Resiliency
- Advocacy, Outreach and Education
- Labor and Employment
- Food Waste Management
Previous Food Assessments for Jackson and Josephine Counties:
Jackson County Community Food Assessment, 2013
Josephine County Food Assessment, 2012
