Title
ASU Knowledge Exchange for Resilience Fellowship Funds (Ordinance S-46256)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to accept and disburse up to $30,000 in funding support from the Arizona State University Knowledge Exchange and Resilience, and enter into any agreements as necessary, for project costs associated with the 2020 Resilience fellowship program to elevate the importance of the South Phoenix farming community by fighting food waste and improving local and regional food systems. Further request authorization for the City Treasurer to accept, and the City Controller to disburse, all funds for the life of the grant. There is no impact to the General Fund.
Report
Summary
Arizona State University's (ASU) Knowledge Exchange for Resilience (KER) seeks to help build resilient communities in Arizona by sharing knowledge, discovering vulnerabilities, and solving problems together to advance social interconnection, promote economic prosperity, and enhance environmental security to create profound and enduring change. ASU's KER focuses on creating and exchanging data, information, and knowledge to advance social cohesion, economic prosperity, and environmental security in the context of profound change. The KER includes partnerships among community-based organizations, academic researchers, citizen scientists, private entities, and public institutions.
The KER has a 12-month fellowship program that focuses on community and organizational transformation. Each year fellows are competitively selected based on potential for creating a positive impact on building community resilience in Maricopa County. In October 2019, Joseph Rossell, Economic Development Program Manager, was selected as a fellow for the 2020 cohort of Resilience Fellows under the Community fellowship. Part of Joseph's duties in the Community and Economic Development Department (CEDD) are to improve local and regional food systems by developing a new agritech strategy to elevate the importance of South Phoenix farming. Joseph will work with other KER fellows in the cohort during weekly meetings and monthly seminars and receive technical training sessions and professional development.
If approved, funding support of up to $30,000 will be awarded to the City and be managed by CEDD for project costs. In addition to the funding, fellows produce and present three deliverables in December 2020 including:
An analysis of the community resilience question with underlying data.
A co-authored manuscript draft intended for submission to an academic journal.
A one-page high level summary of the data, insights, outcomes or contributions of the exchange in a style suitable for distribution to a public, lay audience via poster, webpage or other format as specified.
Along with elevating the importance of South Phoenix farming, Local First Arizona has announced that its 2020 Arizona Food & Farm Forum (AFFF) will move from the 2019 location of Agritopia in Gilbert, Arizona to a location in South Phoenix. The annual AFFF, a two-day conference for producers, food entrepreneurs and local food advocates, programmed to change the way Arizona feeds itself, is an opportunity to build and strengthen relationships for collaboration, develop new skills, and implement strategies for caring for people and the planet to grow food and feed local communities. This event typically attracts up to 200 attendees and over 40 presenters from across the state that share proven best practices as well as lessons learned from personal experience, representing a variety of diverse perspectives.
Financial Impact
The City will receive up to $30,000 from ASU and these funds will be programmed for project costs associated with the 2020 Resilience fellowship program. There is no impact to the General Fund.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
This item was recommended for approval by the Workforce and Economic Development Subcommittee at the Dec. 3, 2019 meeting by a vote of 3-0.
Location
Council District(s): 7 and 8
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Deanna Jonovich and the Community and Economic Development Department.