Codification and Inclusivity of Landmark Urban Agriculture Initiatives in Madison and Dane County, Wisconsin

Madison and Dane County, Wisconsin, are known for progressive politics and early support for community gardening, urban agriculture, and agricultural land preservation. Despite this history of regulatory innovation, the city and county have been slow to address food injustices in local food systems planning and policy development. This chapter covers the local government food systems policy and planning landscape, highlighting local government collaboration with the nonprofit sector to achieve food systems goals, and examining how codification of those goals supports or hinders urban agriculture. The COVID-19 pandemic presented both local governments with a unique opportunity to further collaborations that are more deeply inclusive of community food sovereignty.