The Regional and National Partners working group is specifically for our colleagues from outside of Ohio who are interested in what they can learn from the networking that takes place within Ohio via this site, and the ideas for local food system infrastructure that are applicable in other states.

State boundaries may have little impact on local foodsheds, so in many ways the Ohio Local Food System Collaborative casts a blind eye to state borders as well. State and local policy, however, may have a significant effect on food systems, and this working group will provide a forum for sharing and comparing policies, practices and solutions. We also recognize that local food systems will experience times of both deficiency and surplus. To be successful, local food systems must function holistically. Participants must contribute effectively in their local system, and they also must function interdependently in cohesive regional food systems. This group forms a nucleus for scaling up from local to regional and national food system networks.