RVA CENTER FOR JUSTICE FOOD POLICY COUNCIL SUMMIT ADVANCES REGIONAL STRATEGIES FOR LOCAL FOOD PROCUREMENT

The Reuben V. Anderson Center for Justice hosted the Delta GREENS Food Policy Summit: Strategy, Advocacy, and Action on April 18, 2026, at the North Bolivar Consolidated School District Central Office in Mound Bayou, Mississippi. The summit convened food system leaders, policy advocates, agricultural stakeholders, and community members to advance collaborative strategies focused on food security, public health, workforce development, and sustainable agriculture throughout the Mississippi Delta.

The program featured presentations highlighting the Center’s major food systems initiatives, including the Tougaloo Agri-Growth Initiative, Delta GREENS Food Is Medicine Project, Harvesting Hope, and FRESH Farmers workforce training program. Discussions centered on sustainable agriculture, food access, workforce readiness, and the integration of food systems with long-term community health outcomes.

Key policy conversations included Medicaid 1115(b) advocacy strategies, local food procurement frameworks, and cooperative food system development. Public policy leaders and Delta GREENS fellows facilitated conversations examining how local and state policies can support healthier communities, strengthen local agricultural economies, and increase equitable access to nutritious food. The summit also included a Lunch & Learn session, strategic planning discussions, debriefing sessions with FRESH Farmers participants, and collaborative next-step planning for the Delta GREENS Food Policy Council.

Organizers emphasized that the summit reflects the RVA Center’s continued commitment to combining advocacy, agriculture, public health, and policy innovation to build a stronger and more sustainable regional food system for Mississippi communities.