New Jersey residents now have a comprehensive source for information on various aspects of the state’s food system, thanks to a new tool designed to enhance capacity in community non-profits, municipal departments, and grassroots organizations. This initiative aims to support data-driven decision-making, increase grant funding, and track outcomes.
By improving accessibility and transparency of crucial data related to the state's food system, the New Jersey Food System Dashboard addresses one of the key recommendations of the NJ Roadmap for Food System Resilience. The roadmap called for increasing knowledge and assessment of key metrics to move the state towards a more equitable and resilient food system. Funded by a one-year grant from Rutgers Equity Alliance for Community Health, this public tool was co-developed by several entities including the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Department of Family and Community Health Sciences, NJ Food Democracy Collaborative, community partners from Newark, New Brunswick, and Camden, as well as the Environmental Analysis and Communications Group. The latter is part of the Center for Urban Policy Research at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.
“We hope this tool will be a valuable resource to government agencies, researchers, community-based organizations, and advocates working across all sectors of the food system. Our goal is to continue working with these groups to ensure the dashboard is addressing their needs,” says Dr. Sara Elnakib, principal investigator.
