Call for Research Proposals: Massachusetts Food System Plan – July 25, 2014
Research proposals due: August 12, 2014
Selection decisions made: September 2, 2014
Background: Massachusetts Food System Plan
Over an 18-month timeline, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) and the Project Team, is guiding residents and
stakeholders in developing a comprehensive Massachusetts Food System Plan. The Project Team, which includes MAPC, the
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments and the Massachusetts Workforce
Alliance, will work with Massachusetts residents and food system experts, including producers, business owners, and food
system stakeholders, to conduct a comprehensive assessment that identifies the current strengths of the Commonwealth's
food system and opportunities for improvement. The diagram below depicts the sectors of the food system that will be
examined (yellow ring), as well as the overarching areas of inquiry (blue ring). Additional cross-cutting topics will be
explored as they are identified (green circle).
The plan will be developed in both a statewide and New England regional context. With a focus on strengthening the food
system within Massachusetts, the goals of the plan will complement food system planning efforts underway in neighboring
states and New England as a whole.
At the end of the 18-month process, Massachusetts will have a statewide food system plan that establishes a comprehensive
vision for the food system and includes specific goals and a plan for implementation.
Research Opportunities
The Massachusetts Food System Plan’s (MFSP) Project Team seeks to engage undergraduate and graduate students in
research that will advance the planning process. The Project Team has developed research topics that range in focus, are
intended to meet objectives of the MFSP, and offer students opportunities to examine food system planning topics in depth.
The Project Team has identified broad priority areas (blue ring of diagram) that intersect with all segments of the food
system. The research areas presented in the following page are organized by these priority areas.
The research may be completed by individuals or by groups. Each group will be required to have a faculty member as a
project sponsor. Contributions may be integrated into the planning process and final plan in a number of ways; for
example, data collected may be used to gain a baseline understanding of the Massachusetts food system; literature
reviewed and synthesized may help refine priority opportunities and policy recommendations; and researchers may be
asked to present at Project Team meetings or other venues. All contributions to the MFSP will be acknowledged and cited
where appropriate.
Call for Research Proposals: Massachusetts Food System Plan – July 25, 2014
Research Areas
The following are research areas the Project Team has prioritized. Applicants are encouraged to consider these areas of
research but may submit alternative research topics for consideration by the Project Team.
Economic & Workforce Development in the food system
 Massachusetts food economy: evaluating current food production and consumption in Massachusetts
 Workforce development and training programs: national survey of exemplary workforce development models in
food sectors
 Economic development in the middle of the food system: identifying infrastructure gaps and opportunities in
storage, distribution and processing
 Data collection: work with MAPC Data Services to collect secondary data from statewide agencies around harderto-access data relevant to economic & workforce development
Social Justice & Racial Equity
 Massachusetts food insecurity: exploring the conditions of rural, suburban, and urban food insecurity in the state
 Food insecurity in target populations: understanding how food insecurity impacts one or more of the following
target populations: elderly, youth, homeless, food system workers, low-income, racial minorities
 Race and disenfranchisement: understanding structural racism in all parts of the food system
Climate Change & Environmental Resiliency
 Climate change impacts: on Massachusetts marine fishing OR land-based agriculture
 Climate change adaptation and resiliency for agricultural operations: identifying Best Management Practices
Strategies (such as flood plan restoration, planting new/different crops with drought and/or flood resilience)
 Potential impacts of more droughts: (such as California’s current) and other climate change disruptions to our
global food system on food production in MA
 Water rights and impacts: on agricultural irrigation as well as local, regional, and statewide water regulations to
protect MA aquifers and surface waters from large scale use/draw-down by outside entities (corporations)
 Food waste: estimating food waste in the food chain and identifying exemplary solutions
Cross-Cutting Food Systems
 Food production: estimating production capacity in Massachusetts
 Building regional food systems: Evaluating the middle of the food system to identify solutions to scale-up
distribution, processing, wholesale and farm to institution procurement
 Local food as exclusionary? Examining cultural or economic barriers to buying food grown locally; and examples
of strategies that aim to remove those barriers
Call for Research Proposals: Massachusetts Food System Plan – July 25, 2014
Research Proposal and Selection Process
Researchers should complete the following proposal form, and submit it by August 12, 2014. The Project Team will review
the research proposals and respond by September 2, 2014.
The composition and size of research teams may vary, but must consist of at least one student and one faculty sponsor.
Student researchers will be responsible for carrying out the research project. The faculty sponsor will facilitate research
project development and communicating with the MFSP Project Team, but will not be required to participate directly in
research. It is up to the research team to determine how the research is integrated into academic coursework, requirements,
and whether academic credit is offered. Once selected, teams are responsible for managing and conducting research
independently within the proposed timeline. The MFSP Project Team will offer its support to research teams beginning in the
mid-September, and encourages researchers to take this into consideration when defining their research timeline. Project
Team support will include answering questions, helping to further define research goals, and offering resources and
literature where helpful.
Only those proposals that are completely filled-out and identify a faculty sponsor will be considered. Research proposals
will be selected based on how well research topics complement the research priorities and objectives of the Massachusetts
Food System Plan and whether the research can be completed within the proposed timeline.
All research contributions to the Massachusetts Food System Plan will be acknowledged and cited where appropriate.
Responses and questions can be directed to:
Heidi Stucker
Metropolitan Area Planning Council
60 Temple Place
Boston, MA 02111
hstucker@mapc.org
617-933-0739
Call for Research Proposals: Massachusetts Food System Plan – July 25, 2014
Research Proposal Form
Faculty Sponsor: First Name
Last Name
Email
Institution or Organization:
Name
City/State
Researcher(s):
Last Name
Email
First Name
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Research Topic:
Research Topic Abstract:
Please describe your proposed research, including a clear definition of the topic, research objectives (see footnote1),
format for the deliverable (see footnote2), and the anticipated research timeline for completing the research. The abstract
should be concise and should not need to be more than 1-2 pages in length.
Relevant Skills:
Please describe the skills of the researchers that will aid in completing this project. This may appear as a bulleted list,
representing either individual or collective technical, research or other skill sets.
Research Objectives: Once a topic is identified, research should identify the 1) current conditions, 2) primary challenges, 3) innovations
and solutions. Where a topic warrants a different focus, researchers may suggest other objectives for consideration.
2 Research Deliverables: The research may be presented in a number of formats. The research topic will guide the research methods
and outcome. The research proposal should identify the research deliverable. Following are potential formats: literature review and
concise synthesis, research poster design, organized and cleaned datasets.
1