Early reflections on the Michigan Good Food Summit. Collaborative processes and agrifood policy agendas

A Regional Imperative: The Case for Regional Food Systems

“…In this discussion, we use a broad definition of diversity that incorporates ecological and biological diversity, social and economic diversity, and diversity in agriculture. The Michigan Good Food Charter (Colasanti et al, 2010) lists ways in which food systems should be as diverse as possible, including scales, products, production strategies, food producers, markets and ownership models, food access, and hunger relief resources. To that list should be added soils, climates, cultures, institutions, and biodiversity.…”

“…This calls for strong leadership with clear frameworks and rules regarding responsibility and accountability, along with transparent discussion (Berger, 2003). Also, multiple levels of government at times must commit to public investment, for example, to repair and build appropriate infrastructure (Colasanti et al, 2010;Farnsworth & Miller, 2014;Miller et al, 2016;NADO, 2010). Furthermore, actors at different scales and from different sectors may not be on the same page about the form or authority of certain governance structures.…”

Mapping U.S. Food System Localization Potential: The Impact of Diet on Foodsheds

“…The most recent U.S. Farm Bill allocated $500 million for the Local Agriculture Market Program, while the Farm-to-School program grants nearly $800 million in annual spending on local food initiatives . State and local governments, nonprofit organizations and over 300 Food Policy Councils nationwide further support initiatives. − Some regions have outlined food systems with regionally appropriate diets that would enable the majority or entirety of locally consumed food to be produced regionally. − Popular writers, food movements, and renowned chefs have promoted producing most food locally, advocating for shorter, more direct supply chains, and “re-localizing” productive capacity and natural resources to prioritize local populations. − Relocalizing has gained further attention as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, as disruptions to trade or centralized production raise questions about the limits and potential of localized production and processing. − Major media outlets across the country regularly feature stories and research about local food. In response to the only previous U.S. national study of complete diet localization potential (Zumkehr and Campbell, 2015), the influential author and University of CaliforniaBerkeley Professor Michael Pollan stated that the conversation around local food “ has been hobbled by too much wishful thinking and not enough hard dataexactly what [they are] bringing to the table.” Yet the limits of local food within a larger context remain uncertain.…”