Submissions - Growing Stronger Communities

2026 Speaker/Session Submission Guidelines

All submissions should fit in one or more of this year’s conference themes:

Scale Solutions: How do we move from small plots to sustainable, high-impact agriculture programs? This includes land strategy, staffing, volunteer models, climate-resilient infrastructure, crop planning, and sector-wide integration, including with food bank operations.

Improve Health: How do we strengthen the connection between agriculture and health outcomes? This includes produce prescriptions, medically tailored meals/groceries, clinical partnerships, reimbursement pathways, culturally responsive nutrition education, and practical measurement frameworks.

Return Voice: How do we ensure this work is led with communities rather than done to communities? This includes neighbor-led growing models, culturally connected foods, land access/ownership solutions, farmer trust and fair procurement, and advocacy approaches that protect and expand local food systems.

Sessions should also address at least one of these five framing questions:

Does this session help people build something—not just learn about it?
Are we elevating models that are replicable across different geographies and capacities?
Are we balancing technical expertise with neighbor voice and lived experience?
Are we honoring culture and identity as essential to nutrition security—not optional?
Are we putting farmers and communities at the center of solutions?

Thanks to feedback from last year, we are particularly interested in sessions in these areas:

Food Is Medicine
Farmer-food bank economics & pricing
Composting & circular food systems
Food policy & advocacy
Climate resilience & regenerative ag
Youth engagement & community gardens

2026 Session Submission Form

Name(Required)

First Last

Company / Organization(Required)

Email(Required)

Phone(Required)

Which breakout track(s) does your proposed session fit within?(Required)

Scale Solutions

Improve Health

Return Voice

Describe your session including which conference theme and framing questions it encompasses.(Required)

Who (people or organization) could you partner with to put on this session?(Required)

Please specify if someone other than you is the main contact point.

What is the format of your session?(Required)

We want to emphasize peer learning/sharing, storytelling and collaboration and encourage creativity and interactivity – e.g., workshops, discussion formats, lightning talks, peer learning sessions, innovation labs, etc.

Who will speak in your session?(Required)

Include people/types of people you’d like to have – suggestions with more definite plans are more likely to be accepted.

Who should attend your session and what will those attendees take away from it?(Required)

Do you have suggestions for great speakers for keynotes/general sessions?(Required)

Is there any additional information you would like to add?(Required)

Inter-Faith Food Shuttle can offer a small number of travel grants for community members to attend and speak (Food Banks are expected to cover their staff attendance). Please let us know which of your desired speakers may need help to attend.