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The Disruption Continues

Neighborhood Centered Micro-Food Systems Design

Developing a framework for our participation in the local food system is essential. It compensates for being outcompeted for resources by Institutions that profess to leverage their capacity to serve all, but neglect to serve our interests as reflected in their statistical reporting of disparity in access, lack of diverse representation, performative outputs, and failed outcomes. We must do better and we can.

The Disruption Continues

Neighborhood Centered Micro-Food Systems Design

Developing a framework for our participation in the local food system is essential. It compensates for being outcompeted for resources by Institutions that profess to leverage their capacity to serve all, but neglect to serve our interests as reflected in their statistical reporting of disparity in access, lack of diverse representation, performative outputs, and failed outcomes.
We must do better, and we can!

Why do We Need to Disrupt the food system?

Black farmers make up 1.4% of the 3.4 million agricultural producers in the U.S. and we are underrepresented in every other aspect of the food industry ecosystem.

2017 Census of Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture (April 2019)

This is a risk to the sustainability of the food shed for all.

Re-Imagined culture and community specific strategies for full representation and engagement.

When we all participate, we are all accounted for.

Our system works!

Stakeholdership
Sovereignty
Institutional Integration

The Food industry ecosystem

Conservation & Growing

Farmers prepare soil, plant, and tend crops on small farms growing a variety of crops.

Aggregation & Distribution

Large Farms have workers gather ripened crops and then transport by air, truck, train, ship, or barge to be processed and packaged. 

Processing

Food processors use equipment to chop, dry, can, or freeze food to alter it from its natural state and preserve it for convenience.

Production

Production differs from processing in that production companies buy processed materials to use as ingredients in their products. 

Markets & Consumers

Wholesalers distribute large quantities of food to retailers. Retailers sell to customers who buy, prepare, and eat the food.

Waste & Disposal Recovery

Discarded leftover food and packaging is mostly recyclable or compostable, But much of it ends up in landfills.

Being an active stakeholder in a fully representative system leads to sovereignty.
sovereignty is power.
we need food sovereignty.

Our model is designed to prioritize a collectivized stakeholder voice for the underrepresented, center community-initiated strategies rooted in education and coalition building, and to decentralize institutions as the source of the “Solution” and reframe them as a conduit in our democratic infrastructure that is held accountable to facilitate the equitable distribution of resources for all.

Food Security

Development and market-led reform focused, food security’s approach to the food crisis is through increased food production and some locally sourced food aid. Examples include World Bank, USDA and local food banks

Food Justice

Empowerment oriented, food justice invests in underserved communities, new business  models, community benefits,  solidarity economies, land and food access. Food Justice  believes in sustainably produced, locally sourced food, better safety nets and agroecology.

Food Sovereignty

Food Sovereignty is the most radical approach to addressing the food crisis. This approach works on dismantling corporate agri-food monopoly power, parity, distributive land justice, community rights to water and seed, regionally-based food systems, democratically controlled and sustainable livelihoods.

zoo city’S Pathways to food SoverEignty

A FRAMEWORK AND STRATEGIC VISION FOR COMMUNITY-LED REGENERATIVE DEVELOPMENT.

Zoo City is a local food policy council and industry association. We are a network that aims to connect consumers to cottage food businesses, folk artisans, and local farmers and producers that are too often underrepresented in the agricultural industry. Zoo City empowers individuals to make their own decisions about what food  they eat, where it comes from, and how it’s produced. We believe it is a human right to have locally sourced, sustainably produced, culturally appropriate and democratically controlled food systems.

illustration

Advocacy

Create systemic change on the Local, State and Federal level by participating in a working group that peaks your area of interest through your local food policy council. We are members of the Michigan Local Food Policy Council Network through Michigan State University, and are partners with the National Farm to School Network and The Young Farmers Coalition among others.
Join a Working Group

FARM STOP AND PROCESSING CENTER

We process, package and distribute the value-added products and produce from the members in our network through our Farm Stop and Processing Center in Battle Creek! Please come and check us out Spring 2023 for our Grand Opening and in the interim purchase a CSA share or subscription box!

Farmers Markets

Are you a folk artisan, urban grower, micro-retailer or cottage food business that wants to feature your products at the farmers market? Explore the infinite ways that you can benefit from working with Zoo City to promote your goods and services! We are currently taking applications for the Spring 2023 market.
Apply for the 2023 Season

Community DESIGN STUDIO &
Micro market East-Kerrytown

Come and check out our aggregated branding processing model!  The Community Design Studio located at 326 W. Kalamazoo Ave Suite 204A is our headquarters, convening space, packaging and labeling hub.  All are welcome to come and check out how we prepare for market! This site is temporary, we are currently in the process of developing an expanded Micro-Market Design Studio located at 10 Mills St. in Kalamazoo!

Education

Continuous learning opportunities are available through Skill Sharing workshops, Food Systems Literacy Campaigns, Workforce Development and Youth Programming. Please check out our website to explore opportunities to expand!  

NEIGHBORHOOD FARM SITES AND GREEN SPACE CONSERVATION

You can grow your own food where you live through our neighborhood-based farm sites in Kalamazoo’s Edison Neighborhood. If you are interested in land stewardship through volunteerism, renting space to grow your own food or want to go the full distance and own a share in our worker-owned cooperative, we can help!

Ethical Coalition Building Now.

Working with institutions with the readiness to commit to developing and integrating collaborative infrastructure.

YOU CAN'T DESIGN AN EQUITABLE FOOD SYSTEM
ON BEHALF OF SOMEONE ELSE...

Zoo City’s data informed approach to food sovereignty and advocacy opens up pathways that make healthy food systems more accessible to more people.  Our organization is not in this endeavor alone as our direct network of local producers, and cottage food businesses align to meet shared goals while working with institutional partners to normalize structural and programmatic shifts that have direct and immediate impact in neighborhoods.

Existing Construct

integration of culture and community specific sovereignty models

fully representative multicultural institutions

Become an institutional partner

Zoo City is your local food policy council.

As a Black woman led, organized and established entity we embody our commitment to reflect the interests of the underrepresented across all sectors of the food industry ecosystem for the comprehensive benefit of all!

"Strong people don’t need strong leaders."

-Ella Baker

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