Montana Food Economy Initiative

Each coalition participated in a structured learning process designed to increase community knowledge of sustainable food systems. During the first coalition meeting, AERO provided a foundational presentation covering key food system concepts, including the five food system sectors, nine asset areas, and the role of primary and secondary data in assessing community needs. These presentations were completed in Helena, Fort Belknap, and Billings.

To deepen learning, each coalition received curated articles on best practices in community food system development, including research from Iowa State University and other leading sources. We also shared locally relevant resources—such as Community Health Improvement Plans and regional health and food access data—to ground the work in a place-based context. Educational readings evolved in response to coalition interests and emerging asset areas.

A key tool for expanding awareness was AERO’s “Get to Know Your Montana Food System” video series, featuring interviews with leaders from across the state. The series introduces real-world examples of how different sectors are contributing to sustainable, community-driven food systems. Videos were promoted during coalition meetings, with space for members to reflect, ask questions, and apply insights to their local context.

Baseline knowledge was measured through pre-surveys in Helena and Billings. In Helena, 66% of participants said they could define a community food system before the project began; by the post-survey, 100% responded “yes.” Similarly, confidence in identifying food system sectors rose from 66% to 100%. Participants reported applying what they learned in professional settings, such as farmer education programs, institutional training, and organizational strategy sessions. One coalition member plans to host a food systems workshop for their farmer member base. Another is using facilitation and decision-making techniques modeled during CFSA meetings in their own leadership work.

In Billings, the pre-survey revealed strong confidence in foundational knowledge, but also highlighted gaps in data fluency, assessment methods, and producer-specific challenges. These insights shaped ongoing training efforts. A follow-up survey showed that participants retained or slightly increased their understanding of food system structure and cross-sector collaboration, with continued room for growth in technical skills and regional agricultural literacy.

In Fort Belknap, a survey performed by the community's Food Sovereignty Team in 2017 was used as the knowledge baseline.

Across all three communities, the combination of structured presentations, curated resources, and reflective discussion built shared understanding and reinforced coalition members' ability to assess, communicate, and act on local food system priorities. This growing awareness is the foundation for long-term systems change.

Coalition building is complete in all three communities. The CFSA Assessor, in collaboration with the Local Food Coordinators, facilitated outreach and engagement processes to ensure broad cross-sector participation. Each coalition intentionally brought together stakeholders across food system sectors—including production, processing, distribution, access, and resource recovery—as well as key partners from education, health, business, and local government.

In Helena, the coalition included 14 members representing a diverse set of sectors, including farmers and ranchers, a local hospital, MSU Extension, the community college, K-12 schools, public health, nonprofits, and food businesses. This group guided the assessment process, and is now also collaboratively prioritizing and designing projects aligned with shared community goals.

The Fort Belknap “Core Team” continues to lead the food system assessment process across the reservation. While originally envisioned as multiple hyperlocal coalitions in different communities, the model was adapted to better fit regional capacity and communication needs. This streamlined group includes representation from Tribal agencies, producers, education, food access, and nonprofit partners, and is now co-designing projects that reflect food sovereignty values and local knowledge.

In Billings, the coalition was finalized in fall 2023 and included 14 individuals from across the local food system. Members represent MSU Extension, local food hubs, food service providers, nonprofits, restaurants, producers, and regional food businesses. The group moved into project implementation with strong producer participation, especially in shaping local marketing strategies and identifying new market channels.

Across all three communities, coalitions are diverse in membership and deeply rooted in local priorities and relationships. Producers are actively engaged as collaborators—not just stakeholders—ensuring that projects are informed by real on-the-ground knowledge and aligned with the economic realities of local food production.

This intentional cross-sector approach has strengthened communication between traditionally siloed sectors, surfaced new partnership opportunities, and increased community capacity to take collective action around shared food system priorities.

As momentum has grown in each community, we’ve seen early signs of a true statewide food systems network beginning to take shape. Coalition members from Helena and Billings have already exchanged strategies for community engagement and event planning, and we’ve received inquiries from other Montana communities interested in starting similar assessments. Several coalition members have expressed excitement at learning from peers outside their immediate region and are eager to build on shared challenges—such as institutional procurement barriers, the need for coordinated marketing strategies, and limited food processing capacity.

The “Get to Know Your Montana Food System” video series has helped establish a shared language and statewide identity around food systems work, increasing awareness of what’s happening in different parts of the state and validating local efforts within a broader movement. The planned virtual gathering across the three CFSA coalitions will be an important next step in weaving this network more tightly and identifying opportunities for collaboration, shared problem-solving, and collective advocacy.

Looking ahead, maintaining and deepening this network will require intentional coordination, sustained facilitation, and potentially the development of shared infrastructure (such as peer learning cohorts, communications platforms, or a statewide leadership circle). What began as three distinct coalitions now holds the potential to evolve into a cross-regional, producer-informed, community-powered network that amplifies local action through shared purpose.

Through participation in the nine-month Community Food System Assessment (CFSA) process—facilitated by an AERO-trained CFSA Assessor—each community coalition built concrete skills in evaluating local food systems. In meetings 2–5, coalition members assessed the five core food system sectors (production, processing, distribution, access/consumption, and resource management) alongside nine asset areas, including economic, institutional, environmental, and cultural capital. Guided by prompts such as “What’s happening?”, “What’s missing?”, and “What’s going well?”, coalitions engaged in structured discussions that elevated local insights and surfaced both challenges and opportunities.

This process positioned coalition members as co-leaders—shaping the content and direction of the assessment based on community knowledge. Rather than simply reviewing findings, they generated them. By learning how to map assets, analyze gaps, and frame food system needs through a systems-thinking lens, coalition members are now equipped with frameworks and tools they can apply far beyond the life of this project.

Knowledge gains were measured through pre- and post-surveys. In Helena, the percentage of coalition members who could define a community food system and its sectors rose to 100% by the end of the assessment. In Billings, participants who felt confident engaging in a CFSA increased from 33% to 100%. These results demonstrate knowledge growth and greater self-efficacy and readiness to lead.

Importantly, some participants are already applying these skills in their broader work. One coalition member is using assessment strategies to inform a school food initiative, while another incorporated facilitation methods from CFSA meetings into a health-focused grant proposal. Others reported using the tools to inform internal organizational planning and identify new areas for cross-sector collaboration.

The CFSA process helped shift coalition members from participants to planners—individuals with the skills and confidence to assess and influence their local food environment. That shift represents a long-term investment in community capacity.

To ensure this capacity is sustained and continues to grow, future support will be essential. Opportunities for peer learning, follow-up technical assistance, and funding to support facilitation, implementation, and evaluation will help communities maintain momentum and deepen their ability to respond to evolving food system challenges.

At the conclusion of the nine-month Community Food System Assessment (CFSA), each coalition was supported in identifying and implementing 1–2 priority projects that address identified needs and opportunities. This phase built on months of community dialogue, data gathering, and cross-sector collaboration, equipping coalitions to move from planning to action.

In Helena, the coalition reviewed findings from community surveys, stakeholder interviews, and internal discussions. Members prioritized three overarching goals for the implementation phase: (1) increase local food production, (2) strengthen the regional economy, and (3) improve access to local food. From there, the group generated 33 potential project ideas, which were narrowed to nine. Using weighted criteria—including feasibility, cost, values alignment, community impact, and coalition priorities—the coalition evaluated and discussed each idea in depth.

The top three project concepts included:

• A regional local food marketing campaign
• Increasing local value-added processing capacity
• Supporting value chain coordination for institutional procurement

One project advanced: A community-wide local food event combining food, health, nutrition, and education.The coalition successfully organized two Longest Table dinners in Helena to gather community members in a celebration of local food. Events occurred in September 2024 and February 2025. Coalition members continue to meet monthly to refine project goals, evaluate feasibility, and coordinate next steps.

In Billings, coalition members similarly prioritized a public-facing project: a marketing campaign to build local food awareness and enthusiasm. One participant shared, “We need a buzz—let’s make ‘locally grown, locally sourced’ trendy.” This inspired the creation of the Taste the Agri-Culture of Billings campaign: a printed and digital map guiding residents and visitors through local food destinations including farm-to-table cafes, agri-tourism sites, composting facilities, butcher shops, and the regional food hub. Participants can earn a sticker for completing the map, share experiences on social media, and engage more deeply with the local food economy. The coalition is now seeking a long-term partner to sustain and scale this campaign across the seven-county region.

Community members in Billings also indicated strong interest in using the CFSA report to support broader efforts. Planned uses include informing Farm to School programs, school district purchasing, training and education initiatives, grant proposals, and food waste integration strategies. Many coalition members expressed enthusiasm about applying what they’ve learned to future projects and collaborations across sectors.

In Fort Belknap, the Core Team decided to focus on building a geothermal greenhouse to support the community’s ability to grow food for itself year-round. In project year 3, the Core Team and Fort Belknap community have focused on designing the greenhouse (as inspired by two other geothermal greenhouses in Montana), sourcing all funding necessary, and gathering a team of volunteers to build the greenhouse. The build is scheduled for September 2025. 

These early implementation efforts show that the CFSA process does more than generate ideas—it builds capacity, cultivates leadership, and creates momentum for community-led action that directly supports local producers and food system resilience.