Mission
The mission of the Office of Food Systems Resilience (OFSR) is to develop and implement interagency budgetary, regulatory, and operational strategies to build a more equitable, efficient, resilient, and sustainable food system in Montgomery County. The Office defines “resilience” as the capability of individuals, communities, and the county to withstand and rapidly recover from food systems disruptions, stresses, and changes.
The vision of the OFSR is creating a community where all residents can obtain healthy, nutritious, and culturally appropriate foods without fear of financial stress, and a local food system that is able to adapt when facing changes and disruptions.
Values
The OFSR has four guiding, equally important values that drive our work.
Equity – all efforts should address social justice and disparities to build equity in our community.
Systems-based – strategies should focus on identifying and addressing the interconnections of food system priority areas, simultaneously considering relationships between and impacts on production, access, natural resources, education, and economy rather than on individual issue areas.
Innovation – to transform our food system, it is necessary that novel approaches, creative ideas, and best practice models from other jurisdictions are considered.
Data-driven – strategic policy and investment decisions require intentional and reliable data collection and analysis, and solutions with clearly defined success metrics and measurable results.
Background
Montgomery County launched the Office of Food Systems Resilience (OFSR) in 2023. The Office was created based on the recommendations of the County’s Food Security Task Force (FSTF), which was formed during the COVID-19 pandemic to address food related issues in the County. Following the recommendations by the FSTF, the OFSR was established by County Council at the direction of the County Executive through Bill 20-22 in July 2022 in order to coordinate local government’s efforts to address local food system challenges.
Legislative Mandates
There are six important legislative mandates that established the OFSR:
1. Serve as a liaison between the government and food system stakeholders;
2. Serve as a central liaison and coordinator for County government food system initiatives and projects;
3. Develop a strategy for improving the efficiency, equity, sustainability, and resilience of the food system in the County;
4. Collect and update the food system data needed to support strategic decision-making;
5. Support disaster response feeding planning and operations in coordination with local food assistance providers, DHHS, and OEMHS; and
6. Represent the interests of Montgomery County in regional, state, national, and international food systems coordination efforts.