Development Of Local Food Systems Research Articles

Harvesting connections: the role of stakeholders’ network structure, dynamics and actors’ influence in shaping farmers’ markets

AbstractFarmers’ markets (FMs) represent a crucial player in urban food systems, being the interconnection of local agricultural production and consumption, and serving as spaces for both economic exchange and community building. Despite their transformative potential, there is a scarcity of research that comprehensively investigates the dynamics of FMs network structure and the influence of the actors shaping FMs. The present article delves into the network of relationships within FMs in the Italian city of Bologna. This study adopts the Social Network Analysis (SNA) methodology applied with the Net-Map tool. The research objectives are to visualise the underlying network structure, map the dynamics, and identify the key actors who play pivotal roles in Bologna’s FMs and their level of influence. The research carried out interviews with ten FMs stakeholders, revealing the network of relationships between 54 actors, divided into three categories—civil society, food economy and public administration. Actors were linked by a total of 428 relationships across three types of networks: support, economic, and hindering. Findings indicate a strong support network structure characterised by varying degrees of centrality among different actors. Farmers emerge as a central node due to their pivotal role in providing fresh, local produce. Additionally, local institutions contribute significantly to FMs resilience and growth. Our research demonstrates the importance of recognising the embeddedness of FMs within the local context. By understanding the network structure and influential actors in FMs, policymakers can devise more effective policies for promoting local agriculture, and enhancing the sustainability of urban–rural exchanges. In conclusion, the present study offers valuable insights into the network dynamics of FMs, highlighting their crucial role in the sustainable development of urban and local food systems.

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food systems in Manitoba, Canada and ways forward for resilience: a scoping review

Various studies over the past 3 years have synthesized trends and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canada’s national food system. However, less research has characterized the effects of COVID-19 within regional and provincial food system contexts. This article presents results from a scoping review of peer-reviewed and grey literature published from March 2020 until end of March 2023 examining the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food systems in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Findings are presented according to the categories of food security funding, policy, and programming; individual and household food security; and food systems. In each area we synthesize key findings and discuss their significance in relation to existing food systems scholarship and national trends. Using review results, we propose priority areas for research and practice to support equitable and resilient food systems in Manitoba, including: (1) undertaking evaluation of food system policies, programs, and funding implemented during the pandemic (2) enhancing food security monitoring for vulnerable populations (3) further exploring community experiences and responses to food security, and (4) examining opportunities for local food systems development.

Understanding attitudes and associations of Costa Ricans towards insect consumption

Abstract Insect-based foods are still considered a novelty in Costa Rica. Although there is no tradition of entomophagy in this country, some insect-based products are being recently introduced as innovations into the market. Pioneering in creating nutritious and appealing insect-based foods represents an important opportunity to cater to a growing population and promote a sustainable local food system development. Consumer perception is one of the main barriers for introducing edible insects in Costa Rica, as in many other occidental countries. Costa Rican consumers in this and previous studies showed resistance to consuming and accepting insects as part of their everyday diet. This exploratory qualitative study aimed at revealing the patterns explaining such resistance. In this study, twelve potential consumers from urban settings, aged between 25 and 45, were selected to complete a structured survey and attend a one-on-one in-depth interview session where different projective techniques were applied. The data were analysed systematically to gain a deeper understanding of thoughts, perceptions, reservations, and motivations to consume insect-based foods. Five different patterns were identified and unpacked: whole insects, movement, texture, dirt, and bad taste. These patterns are based on expectations from previous experiences with insects in non-edible contexts, are drivers of disgust, and prevent the participants from thinking of insects as food.

Applying emerging core competencies to extension training courses for local food system practitioners

In 2019, a national group of local food system educators and practitioners identified over 140 foundational core competencies critical to local food system development work and began to identify existing educational resources related to these competencies. This process resulted in a new aggregated resource: the Local Food System Practitioner and Educational Resource Database. Included in this database is a core competency matrix that distinguishes three levels of learning for each competency so that practitioners can identify learning opportunities most closely tailored to their educational needs. It also serves as a framework and competency matrix for educators to use to help assess and communicate the learn­ing out­comes of their curricula. This framework is the overall concept for understanding the compe­ten­cies, and the matrix is the tool developed to assess and evaluate the level at which an educa­tional resource teaches a competency. In this article we apply the newly create core competency matrix to two existing local food system develop­ment courses. We share lessons learned from applying the matrix and insights gained from com­paring two introductory level courses. We con­clude with recommendations for improving the resource database and matrix to a more user-friendly model for educators and local food system practitioners.

Emergent regional collaborative governance in rural local food systems development

ABSTRACT This research analyzes the emergent collaborative governance of local food systems (LFS) development in a six-county region of Michigan’s Western Upper Peninsula, a post-industrial mining region with a long history of local food provisioning. We contribute to scholarship on rural food systems by framing LFS development as a social good, benefiting placemaking and long-term economic development. We use a community-based research case study and policy analysis to identify policy-related gaps, including LFS’ low legitimacy, goal divergence among different jurisdictions, and lack of regional leadership. LFS development may present ways for rural communities to foster placemaking and economic development; however, we find that LFS are less visible and not always on the policy agenda of local governments. In this study, collaborations among grassroots actors and organizations outside of local government are leading LFS development. We conclude that collaborative governance may have a better chance to succeed when LFS have a clear public identity and legitimacy as a social good, partners reach goal consensus, and appropriate leaderships are formed.

From Şxex to Chorta: The Adaptation of Maronite Foraging Customs to the Greek Ones in Kormakitis, Northern Cyprus.

The traditional foraging of wild vegetables (WVs) has played an important role in the post-Neolithic development of rural local food systems of the Near East and the Mediterranean. This study assessed the WVs gathered by the ancient Maronite Arabic diaspora of Kurmajit/Kormakitis village in Northern Cyprus and compared them with those gathered by their Cypriot and Arab Levantine neighbors. An ethnobotanical field survey focusing on WVs was conducted via twenty-two semi-structured interviews among the few remaining Maronite elderly inhabitants (approximately 200); and the resulting data were compared with those described in a few field studies previously conducted in Cyprus, Lebanon, and coastal Syria. Wild vegetables in Kormakitis are grouped into a folk category expressed by the emic lexeme Şxex, which roughly corresponds to the Greek concept of Chorta (wild greens). The large majority of Şxex have Greek folk phytonyms and they overlap for the most part with the WVs previously reported to be gathered by Greek Cypriots, although a remarkable number of WVs are also shared with that of the other groups. The findings address a possible adaptation of Maronite WV foraging to the Greek one, which may be explained by the fact that the Maronite minority and the majority Greek communities lived side by side for many centuries. Additionally, after Turkish occupation in 1974, a remarkable migration/urbanization of Maronites to the main Greek centers on the southern side of the isle took place, and Kurmajit became part of Cypriot trans-border family networks.

Growing health: Building partnerships in healthcare and food systems for improved food access in Appalachia

Hospitals not only provide access to healthcare services in rural areas; they also serve as major employers and economic drivers. The goal of this pilot study was to improve our understanding of how a rural healthcare system in Appalachian Kentucky could be leveraged to expand access to fresh fruits and vegetables. We conducted 11 semi-structured interviews with food system and healthcare stakeholders in Hazard, Kentucky, to (1) improve our understanding of key barriers to accessing and utilizing fresh produce for healthcare worker and patient populations, (2) identify models for direct-to-consumer market channels and farm-to-institution programming in collaboration with a local hospital, and (3) explore the potential of those models to foster greater consumption of fruit and vegetables among community members. Stakeholders emphasized the need for staff support and funding during program development and discussed the difficulty in maintaining prior local food and health promotion efforts when pilot funding expired. Other considerations included the importance of community ownership, robust communication and coordination among stakeholders, and attunement to the opportunities and challenges of a hospital-based approach. Direct farm-to-consumer models were considered feasible but would require accommodation for low-income consumers, such as vouchers, sliding-scale payment methods, or “double dollar” programs. Farm-to-hospital initiatives were discussed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced hospital cafeteria usage, which may limit the success of some events but highlights the potential for to-go options such as pre-prepared salads, lightly processed snacks, and medically tailored meal kits. Results of this study illustrate the challenges and opportunities of leveraging a rural hospital as an anchor institution for expanding local food system development in rural Appalachia. This study also offers insights into the intersections of health, culture, and economy in an Appalachian community, and provides a framework for expanding local food system initiatives.

The Role and Functions of Stakeholders in the Development of Local Food Systems: Case of Lithuania

Abstract This article based on the example of Lithuanian pilot areas (districts) aims to supplement the knowledge about the role and functions of stakeholders in the development of local food systems (hereinafter LFS). An analysis of the scientific literature has revealed a clear role of stakeholders in different countries, but this approach and experience are unique in each country. The results of the case study of Lithuania showed that an analysis of pilot areas and a questionnaire survey at the municipal level identified 14 institutions that could make a significant contribution to the organization of LFS. However, horizontal links between LFS stakeholders are relatively weak, functions and roles are not clearly defined in the pilot areas. Research methods used in the article: analysis and synthesis of scientific literature, document analysis, case study, questionnaire survey, logical abstraction, comparison method. The insights and results of this article contributed to a deeper understanding of LFS as a phenomenon in Lithuania, and from a practical point of view, other districts of Lithuania could discover, self-assess and adapt their LFS organization principles, identify stakeholders and their functions.

Managing across boundaries for coordinated local and regional food system policy

As society experiences greater food- and agriculture-related crises, including those related to climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to rethink conventional silos of hierarchical government. Know Your Farmer Know Your Food (KYF2) was an ambitious collaborative interagency model to address local and regional food system (LRFS) development across a multitude of policies and programs. KYF2, as a public management strategy for implementing public policy, was associated with an investment of more than $1 billion through more than 40,000 LRFS initiatives. Our aim is to document and evaluate the extent to which KYF2 changed the way the USDA implements LRFS policy. Guided by public management, policy implementation, and collaboration literature, we use a mixed methods approach by: 1) conducting a document analysis to determine the internal implementation goals of KYF2, and 2) surveying USDA staff members involved in KYF2 and using statistical and network analysis of survey data to evaluate the evidence about whether KYF2 achieved internal goals. We find that KYF2 legitimized LRFS work within USDA agencies, changed and institutionalized the ways in which daily business is conducted, and elicited new cross-agency collaborations. KYF2, as a cross-boundary innovation, enabled the USDA to coordinate implementation of LRFS policies across 17 agencies, integrating LRFS department-wide and creating policy feedbacks that resulted in legislative change. The development and passage of public policy is often a focus for change, but this study suggests that management strategies to coordinate existing policies can also significantly impact the way in which governments engage in complex, multi-sector issues.

STRENGTHENING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM BY CHOOSING ECO-LOCALIZATION SCENARIO

EU institutions and the public are increasingly debating giving priority to regional and local food systems, short supply chains which create opportunities for a healthier lifestyle and the strengthening of the local economy. The aim of this research is to highlight the possibilities of strengthening the sustainability of the local food system by choosing the eco-localization scenario. The research methods: analysis of scientific literature, documents, good practice examples, systematization, parallel method, etc. The eco-localization scenario requires a long-term vision and a "sustainable solutions" approach, the geographical area relies on its producers and consumers, is oriented towards the local consumer, but the openness of the economy is not abandoned. The driving forces that can help to strengthen the sustainability of local food system by choosing the eco-localization scenario were identified: network of local food system objects; short food supply chains strategies: business to consumer (B2C), business to business (B2B) business to government (B2G); cooperation and stakeholders of local food system activities; local food system stakeholders and relationships; conditions for strategic breakthrough in local food system development.

Perception of local food in direct sale from buyer’s perspective - a case of Poland

In industrialized countries, both government bodies, local authorities, and consumers express a growing interest in local food. The legitimacy of the expansion and promotion of the local food concept stems from the support of regional development while maintaining the principles of sustainable development in the social, economic, and environmental dimensions. In order for the local food sector to develop, it is essential to learn about the opinions of consumers and to recognize their expectations towards the production and distribution of this food. Therefore, this research aimed to identify buyers’ perception of local food and to reveal the attributes (values) affecting this perception. The scope of this research is complements the cognitive gap, and has a practical dimension. A mixed-method approach was adopted in the study to explore the research problem. Qualitative research (n=5 mini-FGI) and quantitative research (n=770 interviews) were conducted. The study revealed that local food is perceived by an integrated set of features, among which product attributes, socio-economic and environmental benefits resulting from its production and distribution are equally important. The perceived attributes related to the quality of local food products reflect consumer confidence in its producers and should be considered as indicators of expectations towards these products. The survey has shown that local products are ranked higher than mass food because they are perceived as of better quality, healthier, and safer. The distinctive attributes of local food products make them superior over conventional foods, constitute their added value, and should be used in constructing a marketing message. The study results are a valuable source of information for producers and entities acting for the development of local food systems. They also provide a number of key insights that can be used in designing marketing communication.

Setting the table for policy intrapreneurship: public administrator perspectives on local food system governance

In communities across the U.S., there is growing awareness of food system issues which exerts greater pressure on public servants to help build a better food system for their community. Drawing from interviews with local and state-level public administrators and elected officials in two metropolitan regions in Ohio and New Jersey, and supporting interviews from food producers and nonprofit leaders in those areas, this paper examines what roles public administrators believe they could and should take regarding food system development in their community. From this qualitative data analysis, the research identified commonalities in administrators’ positive and negative perceptions of the potential for development of their community’s local food system (LFS) despite their lack of background knowledge regarding these systems. Given food systems’ interdisciplinarity and complexity, LFS development likely requires multi-sectoral alliances via partnership governance. The alliance itself and each of its components is simultaneously a complete entity and a part of a larger, more complex entity; such entities are called holons. These alliances have greater capacity to manage more complicated problems than can be addressed by subordinate holons. In examining the potential role of local public administrators in LFS development, this paper constructs the concept of the policy intrapreneur to clarify our understanding and discussions of how public administrators, decision-makers, and other stakeholders view their roles and responsibilities in the creation and governance of local food systems.

Assemblage, food justice, and intersectionality in rural Mississippi: the Oktibbeha Food Policy Council

Oktibbeha County (Mississippi) is among the highest food cost and food insecure counties in the nation. In 2016, a group of scholars from a land-grant university held periodic meetings to address food insecurity, food access, and local food systems development, creating the Oktibbeha Food Policy Council (OFPC). A large body of literature on food justice, intersectionality, food policy councils, and agri-environmental assemblage highlights the importance of these types of collaborative initiatives to facilitate better availability and access to fresh and healthy food among historically marginalized groups. However, little has been studied on how food policy councils can be generated and evolve in historically marginalized rural communities of the South. By analyzing the OFPC, this paper aims to contribute to this gap in the existing literature, exploring what factors led to its creation and development. Results of this study show how food justice and the intersection of race and socioeconomic status with local agri-food problems influenced the assemblage and work of this group, creating new opportunities, for low-income families and limited resource Black farmers. Discussions and conclusions center on the lessons, opportunities, and challenges learned from this experience and critical aspects that may be contemplated by similar initiatives and contexts.

“No money exchanged hands, no bartering took place. But it's still local produce”: Understanding local food systems in rural areas in the U.S. Heartland

Abstract Local food systems are frequently endorsed as an economic development strategy by local economic development practitioners serving rural communities and regions. However, from the limited data available, local food systems are more apparent and more fully developed in urban or peri-urban areas, while scholarship on rural food systems in and of themselves is lacking. What scholarship and data does exist suggests that people in rural places may participate in local food systems in different ways than what has been documented or observed in urban food systems, and that these systems may develop and spread in unique ways requiring new conceptions of intricate flows of locally produced foods, the social, ecological and economic benefits they may have, and the barriers and opportunities they present. We draw from three interrelated literatures – sustainable development, community capitals and rural wealth to conceptualize how the flow of locally produced foods through informal or undocumented channels can contribute to the sustainable development of rural places in the U.S. Through a series of 10 focus groups in the Midwest, we found that rural consumers participate in locally based food systems in distinctive ways that may bypass formal economic channels, such as self-provisioning; sharing and reciprocity; or informal cash or barter transactions. However, many of these forms of food system participation depend upon inclusion in social networks. We conclude that development of local food systems in rural areas will require renewed efforts to consider flows of community capitals from both informal and formal channels in the food system and investment in local food systems, not just in markets and regular economic exchanges. Moreover, as scholars we need to refine our understanding of the nature of food systems in rural areas, and develop new ways of thinking about how informal production-consumption arrangements can potentially contribute to rural development.

Resident perspectives on local food system performance and development priorities: A pilot analysis of the local food vitality index

ABSTRACT Resident interest in local food has been growing across all areas of the supply chain in the United States. To continue this surge in interest, local food system stakeholders should strengthen areas of interest and need in their communities. Without understanding these resident perspectives, however, local food system development may not be effective. To assist in elucidating resident perspectives of the food system, we have developed an assessment tool – the Local Food Vitality Index. This survey-based approach asks residents to evaluate the performance of 20 different aspects of their food system. In this paper, we use data from a pilot national survey to illustrate the analytic possibilities of our approach and illustrate strategies for incorporating these data into local food system development decisions.

Is Canada's Supply Management System Able to Accommodate the Growth of Farm-direct Marketing? A Policy Analysis

In recent years, Canada has witnessed a rapid growth in short food supply chains. As in other countries, such marketing channels have emerged in Canada in response to a growing demand among consumers for fresh, local products. However, a unique feature of Canadian agriculture is that dairy, egg, and poultry production are under supply management. The government requirement for producers in these sectors to purchase a quota ensures that output matches domestic demand. Until recently, though, little attention had been paid to how this system affects the development of short food supply chains in the country. The pur­pose of our study is to examine this emerging issue. The results of our policy analysis suggest that small farmers in Canada face multiple challenges when seek­ing to produce and market specialty products that are under supply management. Furthermore, the cost of entering supply-managed sectors for producers varies as each province is responsible for establishing its own quota exemption limits, mini­mum quotas, and new entrant programs. Our study indicates that supply management policies have important implications for local and regional food system development and for food diversity in Canada.

Embedding Economies of Scale Concepts in the Model of Optimal Locations of Fresh Produce Aggregation Hubs

Food hubs are of interest in regional and local food system development because they potentially enhance the sustainability of food supply chains. Expanding on earlier literature, this study introduces economies of scale into an aggregation hub location model and disaggregates production into four seasons to account for geographic and seasonal variation of US fresh produce production. A mixed integer linear programming model is formulated with the objective of minimizing total costs of assembly and first-handler operations. Results suggest scale economies have significant effects on the optimal number, locations, and sizes of aggregation hubs. We model regional and local food systems in a manner more consistent with economic theory and provide a richer framework for policy analysis.

From Anecdote to Formal Evaluation: Reflections from More Than Two Decades on the Local Food Research Trail at USDA

Introduction In the waning days of my career at the U.S. Depart­­­­ment of Agriculture (USDA), the editors of this journal encouraged me to share some reflec­tions about the evolution of local food research and data collection during the past two decades, and I am deeply appreciative for the opportunity. It has been my great fortune to have witnessed the extraordinary transformation of the local food sec­tor firsthand since the mid-1990s. What started out as a minor assignment to oversee a single—and eventually unsuccessful—cooperative research agreement on school food procurement with the Georgia Department of Agriculture in 1995 ended up piquing my interest about the opportunity for growth in local food sales within institutional and commercial food service, as well as retail channels. This subject has remained the primary focus of my professional life and a subject of vast curiosity for me ever since. For someone like me, who has been immersed in the world of local food systems for more than 20 years, it is staggering—and gratify­ing—to consider both the profound changes in research and data availability that have occurred over the course of my career, and the multiplicity of ways that relevant evidence and data can now be employed to guide business and community devel­opment through local food system expansion. My intent in this article is to briefly examine the chron­ological history of local food research at USDA as I experienced it “in the trenches,” and observe the combination of Congressional mandate, political influence, personal curiosity, and, sometimes, pure serendipity that permitted this body of work to emerge. It should be noted that my personal experi­ences and observations are strongly shaped by my career-long affiliation with USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), an agency that has been mandated by Congress since 1946 to promote effi­ciency in the U.S. food marketing system and help producers attain a greater share of consumer food expenditures.[1] Therefore, while I acknowledge the many health, equity, and environmental benefits that may be achieved through local food system development and expansion, I am deliberately con­fining the bulk of my remarks to the economic contributions of local food systems from a pro­ducer standpoint, and USDA’s important role in bringing such data and information to light. . . . [1] Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, Sec. 203. 7 U.S.C. 1622. The original text reads: “to foster and assist in the development and establishment of more efficient marketing methods…for the purpose of bringing about more efficient and orderly marketing, and reducing the price spread between the producer and the consumer.” See https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Agricultural_Marketing_Act_Of_1946%5B1%5D.pdf See the press release for this article.&nbsp

Governance and Innovations in Local Food System Development: A Bottom-Up Approach in North Carolina

Governance is a collaborative and systemic approach to governing that fosters innovation and inclusiveness of a broad combination of actors, processes, and instruments (Jordan, Wurzel, & Zito, 2005). It draws from the energy, expertise, and resources of the collaborative to employ more sustainable, bottom-up policy solutions. The growth in popularity of local foods and community-based food systems as a pushback to the globalization of our food industry has given rise to a network of coalitions, institutions, and actors in North Carolina that are engaging in local food system development and governance to create a place-based local food economy in the state. The case reviews the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS), a trans­disciplinary, interinstitutional collaboration between the state’s two land-grant institutions, (North Carolina State University and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University), and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences, as an active and prominent stakeholder in the process of local food system governance. The Farm to Fork Initiative, now over 10 years in operation, is reviewed to provide both insight into and reflection of a bottom-up approach to creating a local food economy through governance, innovation, and the implementation of community-based food system initiatives.

Out of Our Silos, Into the Movement: Community Food Systems and Cooperative Extension in Oregon

Oregon has a vibrant community food systems (CFS) movement, which has grown from a few key actors and organizations two decades ago to an increasingly organized, statewide network of more than 50 organizations working on the full span of food system challenges. These diverse organizations have endorsed a common vision: “All Oregonians thrive with healthy, affordable foods from an environmentally and economically resil­ient, regional food system.” The CFS movement aims to expand Oregon’s sustainable agriculture and local and regional food sectors in ways that address the state’s chronic challenges with food insecurity and inequita­ble access to healthy food. Analysts have described Cooperative Extension’s potential and actual contribu­tions to local, regional, and community food system development. Because many Extension personnel feel limited in their ability to work toward transforming the food system, researchers suggest partnering with external organizations with a similar understanding of food system problems and possible solutions. As those partners develop their own theories of food system change and strategic paths forward, Extension can use these to organize its own CFS goals and strategies. I demonstrate that this is well underway in Oregon.