Throughout the southwestern US, multiple efforts are underway to improve food systems in relation to sustainability and food security. These efforts are meant to contribute to resilience of food production amidst change, sustainable livelihoods for those working in the food sector, and healthy food availability for underserved populations. Unfortunately, this work generally occurs in an uncoordinated manner. And despite increasing activity in this area, almost no interstate collaborations exist to bolster local foods markets and food security regionally. Between October, 2014 – September, 2015, we propose to develop a regional food system strategic plan focusing on New Mexico and Arizona. The goal is to provide strategies to improve the local foods marketplace and food access by describing activities and entities involved in local food production, distribution, and availability across states. Objectives include aggregating data to develop a regional food systems asset map; providing a list of detailed case studies that represent excellent models and best practices to improve local and regional resilience, livelihoods, and healthy food access for underserved populations; and distilling strategies to further improve food system sustainability and food security in the southwest, disseminated via a number of deliverables for multiple audiences, including advocates, entrepreneurs, policy makers, and researchers.