City of Phoenix Dedicates $9.7 Million to Strengthen Local Food System

Exciting news for advocates of Arizona’s local food system—in June 2021, the Phoenix City Council approved setting aside a portion of the funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to continue and expand programs that provide farm-fresh food to COVID-19 impacted individuals and families, help achieve the goals established in the 2025 Phoenix Food Action plan, and develop a resilient food system. Year one funding of the Phoenix Resilient Food System Initiative includes $9.7 million allocated to the following programs:

• Backyard Food Production Pilot Project ($500,000)

• Farmland Preservation ($1,000,000)

• Resilient and Sustainable Agriculture Projects ($200,000

• City of Phoenix Urban Agriculture Fellowship ($50,000)

• Council District Food Action Plans, Projects or Initiatives ($400,000)

• Feed Phoenix Program – Local First Arizona Foundation ($2,700,000)

• Funds to Feed Program – LISC Phoenix ($1,950,000)

• Funds for Food Banks and Food Pantries ($1,300,000)

• Worker Cooperative Sustainable Food System Business Incubator ($200,000)

• Agrifood Technology Innovation Grants ($500,000)

The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the importance of developing a resilient and equitable food system as food supply chains were disrupted and many people found themselves without access or means to obtain healthy food. The pandemic also brought to the forefront critical challenges and vulnerabilities in our local food system ranging from preserving local farmland to protecting food service workers and ensuring nutrition security through local food growing, processing, and distributing. With the $9.7 million investment, the City of Phoenix is showing its commitment to developing a more connected, stronger food economy.