From transportation to energy to housing, many local infrastructure systems receive attention and resources in local government and planning. Yet one essential system, food, is often overlooked. Local food systems can provide myriad benefits: they contribute to local economic development, provide important ecosystem services and mitigate climate change, and build food security and local resilience in the face of global disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic. What's more, planning for local food systems can often help local governments achieve other planning-related goals for their communities. Learn why local food systems planning is vital for community health, hear how communities are planning their local food systems, and explore where to start your local food systems planning process. Maybe you're ready to spearhead local food systems planning, but how do you actually get it off the ground? This workshop will also present several different pathways and approaches, share successful models and case studies, and raise important considerations for getting food systems planning onto your local policy agenda. Presented by: Catie DeMets, doctoral student, UW-Madison Dept. of Planning & Landscape Architecture; Carl T. Chenoweth, Dane County Board Supervisor & former member of the Dane County Food Council; Chippewa Valley Market Match Organizing Team: Nancy Coffey, Emeritus UW-Extension; FoodWIse Coordinator Sandy Tarter, FoodWIse Nutrition Coordinator; Eric M. Jamelske, Professor, Director of Collaborative Research, Dept. of Economics, UW-Eau Claire; Kate Beaton, former AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer