Proposed Common Metrics for the Washington State Department of Agriculture

The WSDA Common Metrics Project was a collaborative effort between the University of Washington and the Washington State Department of Agriculture to strengthen Washington’s food system by developing a shared framework for measuring collective impact across diverse WSDA programs.

Through staff interviews, document review, and iterative feedback, the project produced an agency‑wide Outcome Map that identifies common goals and desired outcomes across areas such as partnership and networking, learning and communication, food system resiliency, agricultural business viability, and consumer food access and is grounded in an equity‑at‑all‑levels framework. Building on this foundation, the project proposes a set of feasible, meaningful common metrics—focused initially on partnership and network development—that programs can use to track progress, guide decision‑making, communicate impacts, and align with statewide equity mandates. These tools are designed as living resources to support WSDA in evaluating and communicating its collective contributions to a resilient, equitable, and thriving food system in Washington State.

Learn more about the project including team members, funding, and other details.

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Publication Date: January 29, 2026

Author(s): Marie Spiker, Lina Pinero Walkinshaw, Robyn Burnside, Fiona Jensen-Hitch, Sarah Collier, Jennifer Otten

Resource Type(s): Reports

Research Area(s): Food & Nutrition Policy, Food Access, Food Systems & Nutrition