I.    Educate     The city needs to take actions that will help all citizens understand what is at stake with peak oil… individual, institutions, businesses, agencies.

• Key stakeholders in the food system need education about peak oil and its impacts so they can make appropriate plans.
• The city needs to provide financial incentives or similar measures so that farmers, processors, grocery stores, restaurants, food relief agencies, the Port of Portland, etc. have a plan in place for peak oil impacts.

II.  Preserve Farmland     The city should take an active role in preserving the productive capacity of its foodshed.

• The city should encourage appropriate agencies to preserve existing farmland and protect productive soils for agricultural use.  It could include the creation of agricultural sanctuaries and conservancies as well as preventing the expansion of the urban growth boundary onto productive farmlands.
• The city should lobby to maintain and strengthen current farmland protections through the “New Look” process at Metro and the “Big Look” process at the state level.
• Where there is no natural “hard edge” available to protect farmland, uses compatible with adjacent farmland should be sought.
• The city should hold on to and preserve any land it already owns that would be suitable for urban agricultural uses such as lands identified by the Diggable City project.
• The city should direct more resources toward the Diggable City project, the community garden program, and other urban agriculture possibilities.
• The city should explore options to open up public and private land for food growing, e.g. financial incentives for leasing private land to the city for community gardens.

III.  Expand direct marketing opportunities for local farmers.  The city should examine and adjust regulations to help farmers sell directly to consumers through additional farmers markets, farmstands, CSAs, and a public market.

IV.  Strengthen current hunger relief and emergency agencies and systems.  The Oregon Food Bank has systems in place to provide food to low income citizens.  However this system is already stressed.

• The city should work with the Oregon Food Bank to develop plans to prepare for increased food demand from a higher percentage of the population.

• Working with ORVOAD and especially the Oregon Food Bank and Multnomah County, POEM should develop a comprehensive food plan to ensure that in case of a short-term or mid-term emergency, food supplies are adequate for Portland.
• The city should play a role in establishing major food warehousing in addition to current Oregon Food Bank and personal efforts.  If there is a major societal breakdown, where would Portlanders get food after supermarket shelves are empty? We see this as a risk management must do.

V.   Increase local food processing.    PDC should prioritize food processing as an economic cluster, including incentives to encourage development. 

VI.   Educate citizens about growing, processing, preserving, and preparing foods.

• The city should work with Multnomah County to reinstate the OSU Extension Service to help address an increased need to educate citizens about food growing, processing, preserving, cooking, and composting.
• The city should work with the State and Multnomah County to increase nutrition education.
• Schools need to include a comprehensive study of “peak oil” and its implications.  Schools need to teach more about nutrition, about where food comes from, how to grow, harvest, process, preserve and prepare foods, and how to compost food waste.

VII.  Increase composting.  The city should start planning for a local composting site.