Raffi at 15:01, 9 April 2007

2007-04-09T15:01:02Z

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[[Image:Marylebone Farmers Market 2005.jpg|thumb|[[Marylebone]] [[Farmers' market]]]]

'''Local food''' (also '''regional food''' or '''food patriotism''') is a principle of [[sustainability]] relying on consumption of [[food]] products that are locally grown. It is part of the concept of [[local purchasing]], a preference to buy locally produced goods and services. Those who eat local food sometimes call themselves "localvores" or "locavores".

The concept is often related to the slogan ''Think globally, act locally'', common in [[green politics]]. Pioneering and influential work in the area of local economies was done by noted economist [[E. F. Schumacher]]. Those supporting development of a local food [[microeconomics|economy]] consider that since food is needed by everyone, everywhere, every day, a small change in the way it is produced and [[marketing|marketed]] will have a great effect on [[health]], the [[ecosystem]] and preservation of [[cultural diversity]]. They say [[shopping]] decisions favoring local food consumption directly affect the [[well-being]] of people, improve [[local economy|local economies]] and may be [[ecology|ecologically]] more sustainable.

In general, local food is in opposition to the ideas of global [[free trade]]. Critics argue that by convincing [[consumer]]s in [[developed nation]]s not to buy food produced in the [[third world]], the local food movement damages the [[economics|economy]] of third world [[nation]]s, which often rely heavily on food [[export]]s and [[cash crop]]s.

Critics also say that local food tends to be more expensive to the [[consumer]] than food bought without regard to [[provenance]] and could never provide the variety currently available (such as having [[summer]] [[vegetables]] available in [[winter]], or having kinds of food available which can not be locally produced due to [[soil]], [[climate]] or labor conditions).

However, proponents indicate that the lower price of [[Commodity|commodified]] food (which is sometimes called ''[[cheap food]]'') is often due to a variety of governmental [[subsidy|subsidies]], including direct ones such as price supports, direct payments or [[tax break]]s, and indirect ones such as subsidies for trucking via road infrastructure investment, and often does not take into account the [[full cost accounting|true cost]] of the product. They further indicate that buying local food does not necessarily mean giving up all food coming from distant [[ecoregion]]s, but rather favoring local foods when available.

== What defines local or regional? ==
The definition of "local" or "regional" is flexible and may be disputed, or modified by industry lobby groups. Some see "local" as being a very small area (typically, the size of a [[city]] and its surroundings), others suggest the ecoregion size, while others refer to the borders of their nation or [[state]].

Some proponents of "local food" consider that the term "local" has little to do with distance or with the size of a "local" area. For example, some see the [[United States of America|American]] state of [[Texas]] as being "local", although it is much larger than some [[Europe|European]] countries. In this case, transporting a food product across Texas could involve a longer distance than that between northern and southern European countries. It is also argued that national borders should not be used to define what is local. For example, a [[cheese]] produced in [[Alsace]] is likely to be more "local" to [[Germany|German]] people in [[Frankfurt]], than to French people in [[Marseille]].

The concept of "local" is also seen in terms of [[ecology]], where food production is considered from the perspective of a basic ecological unit defined by its climate, soil, [[drainage basin|watershed]], [[species]] and local [[agrisystem]]s, a unit also called an [[ecoregion]].

Where local food is determined by the distance it has travelled, the wholesale distribut
ion system can confuse the calculations. Fresh food that is grown very near to where it will be purchased, may still travel hundreds of miles through the system before arriving back at a local store. This is seen as a labelling issue by local food advocates, who suggest that, at least in the case of fresh food, consumers should be able to see exactly how far each food item has travelled.

In the international wine industry, much "bulk wine" is shipped to other regions or continents, to be blended with wine from other locales. It may even be marketed rather misleadingly as a product of the bottling country. This is in direct opposition to both the concept of "local food" and the concept of [[terroir]].

== Local food is often equated with organic food ==
''Local food'' is, by definition, food locally grown. Many local food proponents tend to equate it with food produced by local independent [[farmer]]s, while equating non-local food with food produced and transformed by large [[agribusiness]]. They may support resisting [[globalization]] of food by pressing for policy changes and choosing to buy local food. They may also follow the practice of the [[boycott]] or [[buycott]].

Local food is also often interpreted as being [[organic farming|organic]], or produced by farmers who adopt sustainable and humane practices, while non-local food is often seen as a result of [[corporation|corporate]] [[management]] [[policy|policies]], heavy subsidies, poor [[animal welfare]], lack of care for the [[natural environment|environment]], and poor working conditions. This limited interpretation is likely due to the fact that the [[organic movement]] is largely responsible for renewed public interest in local and regional markets. Those subscribing to this interpretation often insist on buying food directly from local [[family farm]]s, through direct channels such as [[farmers' market]]s, [[cooperative|food cooperative]]s and [[community-supported agriculture]] plans.

For many, local food is interpreted as [[processed food|unprocessed food]], to be transformed by the consumer or local shop rather than by the food industry. As such, local food (as opposed to [[global food]]) reduces or eliminates the costs of [[transport]], processing, packaging, and [[advertising]].

As large corporations and [[supermarket]] distribution increasingly dominate the [[organic food]] market, the concept of local food, and sometimes '[[Sustainability|sustainable]] food', is increasingly being used by independent farmers, food activists, and aware consumers to refine the definition of organic food and organic agriculture. By this measure, food that is [[organic certification|certified organic]] but not grown locally is viewed as possibly "less organic" or not of the same overall quality or benefit, as locally grown organic products. Some consumers see the general advantages of "organic" as also invested in "locally grown", therefore local food ''not'' grown "organically" may trump generically "organic" in purchase decisions. Also, because local food tends to be fresh (or minimally processed, such as cheese and milk), as opposed to [[processed food]], the bias against processed food is often at least implicit in the local food argument. The marketing phrase, ''fresh, local, organic'', summarizes these arguments.

== Impacts of local food systems ==
=== Transport distance (see also food miles) ===

A goal of a local food system might be to minimize food transport distance, known as [[food miles]]. A consumer report published in [[2003]] by [[The Guardian]] newspaper in the [[United Kingdom|UK]] found that a selection of 20 [[fresh food]] items purchased from British supermarkets had travelled an average of 5,000 miles ach[http://www.guardian.co.uk/flash/0,5860,952682,00.html]; in [[North America]], an average fresh food transport distance of 1,000-1,500 miles is often cited. Transport costs must consider [[weight]] as well as [[distance]]. If food is processed, it may lose [[weight]] compared with unprocessed food. To the extent it is processed nearer prod
uction, less weight is transported a longer distance. If it is processed by the consumer, more weight may be transported, though the trip from production to processing can be avoided. The amount of [[fossil fuel]] consumed and CO<sub>2</sub> emissions released in the atmosphere of more local, unprocessed food compared with less local, processed food are thus ambiguous. This issue is addressed by the field of [[regional science]].

=== Food quality ===
Another effect could be an increase in [[food quality]] and [[taste]]. Locally grown fresh food can be consumed almost immediately after [[harvest]], so it may be sold fresher and usually riper (e.g. picked at peak maturity, as it would be from a home [[garden]]). Also, the need for chemical preservatives and [[food irradiation|irradiation]] to artificially extend [[shelf-life]] can be reduced or eliminated.

One food quality argument holds that better nutrition results when people eat food grown in the ecoregion in which they live. The general [[theory]] is that regional conditions affect the composition of plants and animals, and eating local provides an optimized nutritional fit. Scientifically, this has neither been proven nor disproven.

=== Agrisystems and sustainable farming ===
A major potential effect of local food systems is to encourage [[multiple cropping]], i.e. growing multiple species and a wide variety of crops at the same time and same place, as opposed to the prevalent commercial practice of large-scale, single-crop [[monoculture]].

With a higher demand for a variety of agricultural products, farmers are more likely to diversify their production, thereby making it easier to farm in a [[Sustainability|sustainable]] way. For example, winter [[intercropping]] (e.g. coverage of [[legume|leguminous]] crops during winter) and [[crop rotation]] may reduce [[pest (animal)|pest]] pressure, and also the use of [[pesticide]]s. Also, in an animal/crop multiculture system, the on-farm byproducts like [[manure]] and [[crop residue]]s may be used to replace chemical [[fertilizer]]s, while on-farm produced [[silage]] and leguminous crops may feed the [[cattle]] instead of imported [[soybean|soya]]. Manure and residues being considered as by-products rather than [[waste]], will have reduced effects on the environment, and reduction in soya import is likely to be economically interesting for the farmer, as well as more secure (because of a decrease of market dependence on outside inputs).

In a polycultural agrisystem, there is usually a more efficient use of [[human capital]] (labour) as each crop has a different cycle of culture, hence different time of intensive care, minimization of risk (lesser effect of [[extreme weather]] as one crop can compensate for another), reduction of [[insect]] and [[disease]] incidence (diseases are usually crop specific), maximization of results with low levels of [[technology]] (intensive monoculture cropping often involves very high-technology material and sometimes the use of [[genetically modified organism|genetically modified seed]]s). Multiculture also seeks to preserve indigenous [[biodiversity]].

These farming approaches happen to be the essence of the sustainable organic farming approach, although local farming is at present predominantly not, and is not required to be, strictly "organic" from a certification standpoint.

=== Local economies ===
Local food production could strengthen local economies by protecting small farms, local jobs, and local shops, thereby increasing [[food security]]. One example of an effort in this direction is community-supported agriculture (CSA), where consumers purchase advance shares in a local farmer's annual production, and pick up their shares, usually weekly, from communal distribution points. In effect, CSA members become active participants in local farming, by providing up-front [[cash]] to [[finance]] seasonal expenses, sharing in the risks and rewards of the growing conditions, and taking part in the distribution system. Some CSA set-ups require members to contribute a certain amount of labor, in a form of [[cooperative]] venture.

The popular resurgence of [[farmers market]]s in many parts of the world, including Europe and North America, contributes to local economies. They are traditional in many societies, bringing together local food and [[handicraft|craft]] producers for the convenience of local consumers. Today, some urban farmers markets are large-scale enterprises, attracting tens of thousands on a market day, and vendors are not always "local". However, the majority of markets are still built around local farmers.

Another at present small but notable trend is local food as part of a [[barter]] system. In localized economies, where a variety of common goods and services are provided by individuals and businesses within the immediate community (as opposed to by outlets and branches of large corporations), a direct of exchange of values is quite feasible. Some CSA projects, for example, trade services or labor for food.

Particularly in the developed nations, the move away from local food to agribusiness over the last 100 years has had a profound socioeconomic effect, by redistributing populations into [[urban area|urban]] areas, and concentrating ownership of land and capital. In addition, the traditional farming skill set, which by necessity included a diverse range of knowledge and abilities required to manage a farm, has given way to new generations of specialists. When farming for local consumption was a cornerstone of local economies, the farmer was an integral, leading member of the community, a far different position from today. Support for local food is seen by some as a way to rediscover valuable community structures, values and perspectives.

== History of the local food movement ==
The local food movement in the [[European Union]] has been hindered by EU rules requiring things produced in the EU, including food, to be marked as products of the EU, rather than as products of any particular country. The instinct of customers to buy nationally produced food in the name of [[patriotism]] was deemed to be a barrier to [[free trade]].

[[Terra Madre]] is a network of food communities coordinated by the [[Slow Food]] organization. Meetings held in Turin in 2004 and 2005 attracted representatives from 150 countries.

Another organization [FoodRoutes Network][http://www.foodroutes.org] has been working for a number of years in developing local chapters of its "Buy Fresh Buy Local" program. It helps consumers to become involved with the development and revitalization of their local food system. The organization was founded by the Kellogg Foundation to bring hope that there will always be healthy food available to all. Today there are over 40 chapters around the USA.

== Criticism of the local food movement ==
Critics of the local food movement point out that transport is only one component of the total environmental impact of food production and consumption. In fact, any environmental assessment of food that consumers buy needs to take into account how the food has been produced and what energy is used in its production. For example, it is likely to be more environmentally friendly for tomatoes to be grown in Spain and transported to the UK than for the same tomatoes to be grown in greenhouses in the UK requiring electricity to light and heat them.

An extensive study [http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/story_images/2328_RR285_s6508.pdf Food Miles – Comparative Energy/Emissions Performance of New Zealand’s Agriculture Industry ] by Lincoln University of Christchurch New Zealand refutes claims about food miles by comparing total energy used in food production in Europe and New Zealand, taking into account energy used to ship the food to Europe for consumers.

"''New Zealand has greater production efficiency in many food commodities compared to the
UK. For example New Zealand agriculture tends to apply less fertilisers (which require large amounts of energy to produce and cause significant CO2 emissions) and animals are able to graze year round outside eating grass instead large quantities of brought-in feed such as concentrates. In the case of dairy and sheepmeat production NZ is by far more energy efficient even including the transport cost than the UK, twice as efficient in the case of dairy, and four times as efficient in case of sheepmeat. In the case of apples NZ is more energy efficient even though the energy embodied in capital items and other inputs data was not available for the UK."''

Given the high level of subsidies required to support many food producers in the European Union, this is also seen as an indicator of the inefficient resource use from farming in Europe, compared to low or unsubsidised producers in Australia and New Zealand.

== See also ==
* [[Slow Food]]

==External links==
* [http://www.localfairtrade.org/ Local Fair Trade Network]
* [http://www.neac.eat-online.net/ Network of European Alimentary Culture]
* [http://www.localfood.org.uk/ f3 - making local and sustainable food happen]
* [http://www.localharvest.org/ Local Farmer Network]
* [http://wikiforgood.org/index.php?title=Eat_Local Wiki For Good: Eat Local]
* [http://www.cookhereandnow.com/ Cook Here and Now -- Local and seasonal cooking group]

[[Category:Food politics]]
[[Category:Sustainability]]
[[Category:Rural community development]]

Local food - Revision history

Raffi at 15:01, 9 April 2007