scholarly journals Building a safety buffer for European food security: the role of small-scale food production and local ecological and gastronomic knowledge in light of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Renata Sõukand ◽  
Raivo Kalle ◽  
Michele Filippo Fontefrancesco ◽  
Andrea Pieroni
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Food Chains ◽  
Community Based ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Safe Food

The lockdown caused by the coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) has created a situation in which food availability is affected not only by the availability of money but also by the availability of food itself. On the basis of five pillars, including 1) supporting community-based farming, 2) defending small firms, 3) developing narratives on the high value of local food, 4) encouraging subsistence gardening and foraging in the wild, and 5) promoting local ecological and gastronomic knowledge, the essay points a way forward to attain greater sustainability and resilience of safe food chains that starts with reassessing the relevance of local food systems.

scholarly journals Building a safety buffer for European food security: the role of small-scale food production and local ecological and gastronomic knowledge in light of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Renata Sõukand ◽  
Raivo Kalle ◽  
Michele Filippo Fontefrancesco ◽  
Andrea Pieroni
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Food Chains ◽  
Community Based ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Safe Food

The lockdown caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has created a situation in which food availability is affected not only by the availability of money but also by the availability of food itself. On the basis of five pillars, including 1) supporting community-based farming, 2) defending small firms, 3) developing narratives on the high value of local food,4) encouraging subsistence gardening and foraging in the wild, and 5) promoting local ecological and gastronomic knowledge, the article points a way forward to attain greater sustainability and resilience of safe food chains that starts with reassessing the relevance of local food systems.

scholarly journals Controlled environment agriculture and containerized food production in northern North America

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Alex Wilkinson ◽  
Craig Gerlach ◽  
Meriam Karlsson ◽  
Henry Penn
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Systems Design ◽  
Regional Food ◽  
The North ◽  
The Social ◽  
Controlled Environment Agriculture ◽  
Regional Food Systems

There is an ongoing debate about the role of con­trolled environment agriculture and containerized food production in local food systems in Northern North American communities. Some critics dismiss these applications as ineffective, arguing that because they marginalize certain populations they do not have a place in northern food systems. However, such critiques are premature and under­mine what may prove to be an important and com­plementary component of local and regional food systems in the north, particularly if designed and implemented in a culturally appropriate and place-based context. Containerized food production can offer enhanced food production capabilities for communities through year-round production. While there are still concerns about proper growing protocols, scalability, output, durability, and economics, these can be addressed, modified and improved through research and continued applica­tions. New opportunities requiring further explora­tion in the application of containerized food pro­duction systems include, but are not limited to, integrative systems design, the enhancement of community development initiatives, and the inte­gration of the social networks that are necessary for diversified local food production.

Evidence of Degrowth Values in Food Justice in a Northern Canadian Municipality

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Rooney ◽  
Helen Vallianatos
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Food Justice ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Holistic Model ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Food Knowledge ◽  
Holistic Understanding

Our case study draws on emerging ideas of degrowth, showing how degrowth values and strategies may emerge where cities rely heavily on global food systems, and contributes to literature on food for degrowth in local contexts. Degrowth rejects the imperative of economic growth as a primary indicator of social wellness. A holistic understanding of wellness prescribes radical societal transformation, downscaling and decreasing consumption, strengthening community relationships and promoting resilience. Building on Bloemmen et al. (2015), we apply a holistic model of degrowth in a small-scale context, embedded within larger capitalist economies, to examine degrowth opportunities and constraints in Edmonton, Canada. Emergent themes in interviews reveal opportunities and challenges for local food for degrowth, by altering local food supplies, reducing food waste and decreasing consumption. We explore the role of social relationships in food justice work, increasing food knowledge, and building capacity for local, sustainable food production.

Communities, Supermarkets, and Local Food: Mapping Connections and Obstacles in Food System Work in North Carolina

2014 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rudi Colloredo-Mansfeld ◽  
Meenu Tewari ◽  
Justine Williams ◽  
Dorothy Holland ◽  
Alena Steen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Grocery Stores ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Subsequent Work ◽  
Retail Chains ◽  
Food Sales

What is the role of retail chains in the institutionalization of local food systems? The most basic issue in the development of community based food systems is also the thorniest: how to sell local food through regular supermarkets without giving up the ideals of keeping the food system local. Beginning in 2009, a team of researchers in North Carolina has examined the potential for partnerships between local producers and grocery stores. The goals were (1) to document the way food producers and retailers defined local food, (2) to record how consumers related local food to notions of community, and (3) to identify how a community's cultural assets might reinforce economic cooperation among food enterprises. The research identified key differences between retailer and consumer conceptions of local food. Yet, through a sketch mapping task, the work also uncovered the ways that consumers saw stores as community connectors. Subsequent work has documented how actors within a conventional grocery chain work to align often divergent interests at stores, corporate headquarters, and distribution facilities in order to support local food. The paper concludes with an assessment of how a relational approach can address obstacles to local food sales in conventional supply chains.

Through the Eyes on the Ground: Re-positioning Rural Agrarian Actors as Leaders in the Local Food Movement during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 322-331
Author(s):  
Allison Cantor
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Local Economy ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Local Food Movement ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Shifting Strategy ◽  
Tourism Economy ◽  
Food Movement

Despite Costa Rica’s efforts to promote international tourism, the economy continues to struggle with unprecedented unemployment rates due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is especially concerning for tourism-dependent regions, such as the Monteverde Zone, where most residents have abandoned land-based livelihoods in favor of tourism. This study uses photovoice to illustrate the ways that small-scale food producers have adapted to the unique challenges of the COVID-19 global pandemic in a region that was already experiencing a loss of agrarian identity. Overall, local food producers have been affected by the diminished tourism economy through the closing of restaurants and the decrease in tourists, causing them to experience crop loss. Food producers have adapted to the economic impacts of the pandemic by re-investing their efforts into a local economy. As part of this shifting strategy, some food producers have begun to expand, diversify, and embrace an approach to growing food that is in line with building more resilient models of food production and engaging with their clients in different ways. Using community-based participatory methods, this study illustrates how food producers have adapted to changes brought on by the pandemic, re-positioning some of these rural agrarian actors as prominent figures in the local food movement.

scholarly journals The impact of COVID-19 on local government stakeholders' perspectives on local food production

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Catherine Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Adoption And Implementation ◽  
Local Food Production ◽  
The Impact

Local food production (LFP) can play an impor­tant role in ensuring access to food during supply chain disruptions. Because the drafting, adoption, and implementation of policies regulating LFP is under the purview of local governments in many U.S. states, researchers at University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Exten­sion conducted a study to assess whether COVID-19 affected local government stakeholders’ (LGS) (N=92) perspectives on LFP and the role that LFP can play in responding to public health emergen­cies. LGS who oversee the drafting, adoption, and implementation of LFP policies include staff responsible for code enforcement, sustainability initiatives, and planning, as well as elected and ap­pointed leaders, such as mayors, city and county managers, and city and county commissioners. The survey assessed LGS’ attitudes and knowledge about LFP. The survey also asked LGS about their perceptions and awareness of LFP in their commu­nities, including their perceptions of the benefits of and barriers to LFP and the ways in which LFP producers were using the food they produced. Sur­vey questions also focused specifically on COVID-19 and the role of LFP in public health emergen­cies. In particular, survey questions asked whether LGS perceived a change in their own attitudes, knowledge, and perspectives; whether there had been a change in the LFP activi­ties in their communities following COVID-19; and what they thought the role of LFP was in responding to public health emergencies. Direct comparisons of LGS who responded to a 2019 survey (N=43) were assessed for statistically sig­nificant changes in overall attitudes, knowledge, or perceived benefits of LFP following COVID-19. This study found that LGS have generally positive attitudes and perceptions of benefits of LFP, including its role in public health emergencies, but have limited knowledge about LFP or awareness of barriers to its implementation. The results of this study indicate that LGS understand the potential benefits of LFP in public health emergencies but would benefit from information and training to support the development of policies and programs in their communities.

scholarly journals Soil: the great connector of our lives now and beyond COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa M. Poch ◽  
Lucia H. C. dos Anjos ◽  
Rafla Attia ◽  
Megan Balks ◽  
Adalberto Benavides-Mendoza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Food Chains ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Food And Agriculture Organization ◽  
Sustainable Soil Management ◽  
Local Food Production ◽  
Investments In Education

Abstract. Humanity depends on the existence of healthy soils, both for the production of food and for ensuring a healthy, biodiverse environment, among other functions. COVID-19 is threatening food availability in many places of the world due to the disruption of food chains, lack of workforce, closed borders and national lockdowns. As a consequence, more emphasis is being given to local food production, which may lead to more intensive cultivation of vulnerable areas and to soil degradation. In order to increase the resilience of populations facing this pandemic and future global crises, transitioning to a paradigm that relies more heavily on local food production on soils that are carefully tended and protected through sustainable management, is necessary. To reach this goal, the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soil (ITPS) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (ITPS) recommends five active strategies: improved access to land, sound land use planning, sustainable soil management, enhanced research, and investments in education and extension.

scholarly journals Alternative Local Food Shopping Communities in Hungary

2019 ◽  
Vol 19(34) (2) ◽  
pp. 7-21
Author(s):  
Izabella Bakos ◽  
Anikó Khademi-Vidra
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Consumer Behaviour ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Close Correlation ◽  
Retail Trade ◽  
Local Food Systems ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Food Shopping ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Significant Difference

As a result of concerns about the long-term sustainability of globalized retail trade and the stronger presence of health conscious consumer behaviour, governments and groups of conscious consumers worldwide are increasingly focusing on the promotion and development of local food systems and small-scale retail chains and the production of quality local food products to promote the market. In our paper, we would like to give an overview of community-led alternative types of local food systems, with particular attention to shopping community-type consumer and consumer communities. We also describe the main results of our primary research in the population and the shopping community. During the questionnaire we revealed general consumer behaviour and the demand and attitude of local food, the popularity of the customer communities in the settlement of the respondents. In the survey conducted among members of the consumer community, we looked at the analytical areas designated as a target in the population questionnaire for the purpose of comparability and our aim was to explore the sociometrics and lifestyles of communities as well as their community experiences and possible developments. Our hypothesis is that there is a close correlation between the respondents with higher education and income and the preferences of local food. Furthermore, it is assumed that there is a significant difference between the food consumption behaviors of the two samples examined.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document