The Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan is rural and residents are experiencing significant food insecurity. A Dow Fellows team worked with the Western Upper Planning and Development Region (WUPPDR) and the Western UP Food Systems Council to advance sustainable food systems planning in the region. To develop a comprehensive plan for the region, the team created individual community health profiles to better understand the needs of the community concerning access to food. The Dow team also developed a food systems planning tool kit for local municipalities. They created a Master Planning Addendum Template that can serve as a prelude to a food policy section of a city or county master plan. They also developed a Food Policy Master Planning Catalog to assist WUPPDR in engaging with local food systems planners who wish to incorporate aspects of sustainability into their food systems. The team anticipates that WUPPDR will use these tools to work with partner communities on food systems planning.

Location: Western Upper Peninsula, Michigan
Project Advisor: Prof. Margaret Wooldridge
Project Team: Maxwell Woody, College of Engineering and School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS); Adriane Kline, School of Public Health; Emily Johnson, School of Medicine; Nick Kemp, SEAS; and Joshua Childs, Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning and Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy