The influence of agriculture on Kansans’ health will be the topic of an all-day “Healthy Farms, Healthy People: Agriculture and Health Care Summit” in Topeka on November 16, at Washburn University’s Bradbury Alumni Center.  The event is being coordinated by the Kansas Rural Center, in partnership with the Kansas Health Institute, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Farmers Union and others, with funding support from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) through its National Network of Public Health Institutes.

Registration for the summit is open to those interested in learning more about the intersection of the Kansas health, agriculture and food environments. This includes dietitians, nurses, doctors, worksite wellness coordinators, agency officials, public health practitioners, community development officers, farmers, ranchers, grocers, and restaurateurs. The daylong event will explore Kansas perspectives on the connections between farms, food systems, and health, with a goal of learning more about the challenges and opportunities on these topics that are specific to Kansas communities.

Featured keynote speakers will include Elizabeth Ablah, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Kansas School of Medicine–Wichita and Bob Martin, Senior Policy Advisor for John Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. 

Morning sessions and presentations will explore healthy eating behaviors and influences, farming and food systems in Kansas, the role of food and farm policy, and the challenges in producing healthy food. Speakers will include Barb LaClair, M.H.A., of the Kansas Health Institute; Anthony Randles MPH, Ph.D, of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment; Rhonda Janke, Ph.D, of Kansas State University; Paul Johnson, public policy contributor to the Kansas Rural Center, and Donn Teske, president of the Kansas Farmers Union. 

Afternoon roundtables will provide participants with an interactive opportunity to generate potential solutions of interest to their own communities and work. Roundtable topics may include beginning farmer programs, farm to school, farm-raised food distribution infrastructure problems, access to healthy food, incentive programs such as SNAP, and workplace wellness. The organizers seek to bring together stakeholders from health and agriculture to create the dialogue that is needed to create an understanding of challenges, opportunities, and actions for change around identified food, farming and health issues in Kansas.  

Cost to attend is $35, which includes beverages, snacks, and a locally sourced lunch. 

The Kansas Rural Center has partnered with the Kansas Health Institute, Kansas Department of Health & Environment, Kansas Health Consumer Coalition, Kansas Farmers Union, and Bon Appétite Management Company to coordinate this event.  

For more information or to register, visit www.kansasruralcenter.org. 

This summit is a part of the Healthy Farms, Healthy People (HFHP) State Meetings Learning Community.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has supported the learning community through its cooperative agreement with the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI).  NNPHI has provided funding to selected state meetings and contracted with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) to provide technical assistance to meeting organizers.  The views expressed during this meeting do not necessarily represent the views of NNPHI, IATP, CDC, or the Healthy Farms, Healthy People Coalition.