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Applied and Extension

Mobilizing Regional Food Systems Using a Design Workshop Model: Case Study from North Carolina Erin White*, Erin White, Tania Allen,

In seeking solutions for economic development, food security, and environmental sustainability in rural North Carolina, food systems promise opportunities for change. Too often, however, efforts towards food system change occur at local levels and within single sectors. These approaches limit the impact of scale for small and medium-sized, place-based food systems, and they also miss out on the cross-sector, systems-based opportunities for change. Using intentionally cross-sector planning strategies at a regional food system level is theorized to open new potential for transformative, integrated food systems outcomes. This talk presents current PhD research as an applied case study into these ideas, using design thinking as an organizing and collaborative framework. The project involved early-stage strategies for change in the regional food system of a mostly rural 7-county region of North Carolina, using a cross-sector stakeholder approach and design thinking framework to develop a participatory cohort and flexible action plan. Four design workshops in late 2025 anchored this process, though stakeholders have moved ahead with the first steps of the resulting action plan. The talk discusses regional food systems contexts and rationale alongside applied design thinking methodologies, as well as an up-to-date report on current organizing and impact.