Growing local food: scale and local food systems governance

Abstract

Scaling-up'' is the next hurdle facing the local food movement. In order to effect broader systemic impacts, local food systems (LFS) will have to grow, and engage either more or larger consumers and producers. Encouraging the involvement of mid-sized farms looks to be an elegant solution, by broadening the accessibility of local food while providing alternative revenue streams for troubled family farms. Logistical, structural and regulatory barriers to increased scale in LFS are well known. Less is understood about the way in which scale developments affect the perception and legitimacy of LFS. This valueadded opportunity begs the question: Is the value that adheres to local food scalable? Many familiar with local food discourse might suggest that important pieces of added value within LFS are generated by the reconnection of producer and consumer, the direct exchange through which this occurs, and the shared goals and values that provide the basis for reconnection. However, these assertions are based on tenuous assumptions about how interactions within the direct exchange produce value, and how LFS are governed. Examination shows that existing assumptions do not properly acknowledge the hybridity, diversity, and flexibility inherent in LFS. A clear analysis of the potential of scale in LFS will depend on understanding both how value is determined within LFS, and the processes through which these systems are governed. Such an analysis shows that, while scaled-up LFS will be challenged to maintain legitimacy and an identity as ''alternative'', the establishment of an open governance process-based on a ''negotiation of accommodations''-is likely to enhance their viability.

Assessing the Impact of the EQIP High Tunnel Initiative

“…Increasing the adoption of season-extension technology is important for addressing a key barrier in the supply chain to developing more robust local and regional food systems in the many parts of the U.S. with a limited growing season (Conner et al, 2009;Mount, 2012). According to former USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, "high tunnels create favorable conditions enabling farmers to grow vegetables, berries, and other specialty crops in climates and at times of the year in which it would otherwise be impossible…Farmers who sell their high tunnel produce locally benefit from the extra income, and the community benefits from the availability of fresh, locally grown food" (USDA NRCS, 2011, para.…”

Future Food System Research Priorities: A Sustainable Food Systems Perspective from Ontario, Canada

“…Second, scale emerges as a pivot point, prompting fundamental questions about how and whether sustainable regional systems will integrate place-based solutions (Mount, 2012). The scale dimension represents both intensity and extent of impact, from micro-to macrosize projects captured through "scaling out" and "scaling up."…”

Commercial Bakers' View on the Meaning of "Local" Wheat and Flour in Western Washington State

“…This may explain the minimal role that grains have played in the local foods market so far. Mount (2012) posits that farmers who produce commodities that require processing will be challenged to access the added value that comes from eliminating profit-taking intermediaries. Alternatively, these farmers could become part of vertically integrated food value chains by doing their own milling and by marketing the flour, allowing them to capture the added value.…”