Food and Farm Council of Riley County and City of Manhattan
About us
Mission
The Food and Farm Council of Riley County and City of Manhattan assesses needs, connects partners and coordinates solutions to improve food access and security, decrease food waste and support local farms and food businesses — all to promote healthy living in Manhattan and Riley County. We draw upon expertise in all aspects of the food system as we help our community address complicated food-related issues including obesity, hunger and environmental problems. This includes everything involved with growing, transporting, processing, packaging, buying, cooking and eating, disposing and reusing food.
The Council serves as an umbrella organization that we call Nourish Together. Nourish Together oversees nine impactful programs. We also serve as the “glue” that connects different parts of the food system with one another and with over 50 local partners including social service organizations, nonprofits, businesses and civic groups.
Strategic Goals
Our goals are:
To serve as a city- and county- appointed council of community members to strengthen communication, education and policy within the food system;
To make local and healthy food options more available, accessible and affordable;
To support education of growing, choosing and preparing nutritious foods; and
To improve health outcomes through the reduction of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and obesity.
Join Us
The Council meets monthly on the third Monday at 11:30 a.m. Meetings are held at the KSU Foundation, Foxhole Conference Room, 1800 Kimball Avenue. Agendas and minutes are available on the City of Manhattan’s Food and Farm Council web page and the Riley County Food and Farm Council web page. Meetings are open to the public — please join us.
Food System Master Plan
After a year of community engagement, and partner collaboration, our Master Food Plan was developed and adopted by both City and County Commissions in 2022. The plan serves as a long-range planning document for defining goals and actions to improve our local food system through policy and community action.
