Western U.P. Food Systems Collaborative Annual Report
The annual reports focus on information gained and work completed throughout the Western U.P. Food System.
2025 Western U.P Food Systems Asset Map, by Eden Taub
Eden Taub is a Masters in Sustainable Communities student at MTU under supervision of Dr. Angie Carter. There are 6 static maps for download–one for each county–as well as a short brief describing the methodology of the project.
KBIC Community Food Systems Assessment
This Food Assessment provides a 2024 profile of KBIC's current food system, including some evaluation of how it benefits the community. Specifically, the assessment offers baseline information that can provide a reference to the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community as they continue their praxis in local food sovereignty. The research was conducted by the Western U.P. Planning and Development Region (WUPPDR) as part of the Michigan Health Endowment Fund’s Nurturing Akii and Community to Reclaim Tribal Well-being project.
2024 Local Food Integration for Meals on Wheels storymap and Research into Local Food Integration for Copper Shores Meals on Wheels
The Storymap and report summarizes work by Ella Brodowski, Maggie Denney, Halena Phillips, Paige Berry (students in Dr. Angie Carter’s SS 4700 Communities & Research course at MTU). The students partnered with Copper Shores Community Foundation’s Meals on Wheels program to study local food purchasing within Meals on Wheels programs.
2024 Physical Food Networks in the Western U.P. storymap and Upper Peninsula Farm to School K-12 Lesson Plans
This storymap was created by Eden Traub and Marielle Raasio. The lesson plans highlight local culture and cultural foods and were created by Hawanatu Bangura, Andrea Endres, Vincent Idoku, Nyasha Milanzi, and Lexi Tater (students in Dr. Angie Carter’s SS 4700 Communities & Research course at MTU). The students partnered with a collaborative team consisting of Chef Alex Palzewicz (Barrel + Beam, Marquette), Abbey Palmer (MSU Extension), and Partridge Creek Community Farm (Ishpeming) to study existing kitchen infrastructure that could be used by chefs to prepare local foods for Farm to School efforts and also created lesson plans featuring local foods and cultures.
2023 Courtney Archambeau’s Masters in Environment and Energy Policy thesis: Feeding Our Local Communities - The Benefits of Food Assistance Programs at Local Farmers Markets
Courtney Archambeau’s Masters in Environment and Energy Policy thesis– Feeding Our Local Communities-The Benefits of Food Assistance Programs at Local Farmers Markets– is available for download from the Michigan Tech Digital Commons. The thesis studied food assistance program integration at local farmers markets in Houghton County, MI.
2022 Community Food Survey Results
The 2022 Community Food Survey identifies important strengths and needs across our 6-county region. In 2023, WUPFSC shared results through county-level fact sheets, a community webinar, and a peer-reviewed scientific journal article. All are freely available via the links below.
Farm To School
2022 Final Reports for Western U.P. Farm to School Projects.
Photovoice
WUPFSC worked with MTU students to facilitate a community photovoice project in 2022. More information about the project, including curriculum, toolkit, and the exhibit, can be found in the Resources tab.
Debweyendan (“believe in it”) Indigenous Gardens (DIGs): A Portfolio for Community Workshops
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) was awarded funds in Spring 2019 to promote intergenerational learning and access to healthy foods and medicines through the Debweyendan (“believe in it”) Indigenous Gardens (DIGs) initiative. DIGs aims to promote food sovereignty, strengthen wellbeing and cultural identity, and sustain knowledge for future generations.
This Portfolio is a compilation of project activities, including the 12 workshops and 4 community capacity initiatives funded by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. It is intended to be a resource for other communities who desire similar programs to promote access to healthy foods in their communities and is designed with those communities in mind. It is also to ensure that the community maintains a resource and inventory for future planning of food sovereignty initiatives in the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.
Preliminary Assessment 2018 Houghton County Michigan
Cultivating Community Food Resilience: Recommendations From a Preliminary Food Systems Assessment in Houghton County, MI
This report shares the results of an exploratory food systems assessment conducted in the Houghton-Hancock area of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The goal of this report is to inform the development of the Western Upper Peninsula Food Systems Collaborative (WUPFSC) by 1) providing an overview on best practices from existing food systems councils (FSCs), 2) sharing the results of our preliminary assessment of opportunities within the Houghton-Hancock community, and 3) making recommendations to the WUPFSC to inform their approach to future initiatives.