scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 on Pennsylvania farm revenue: Looking back at the 2020 season

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Miriam Seidel ◽  
Christopher Murakami ◽  
J. Egan ◽  
Jasmine Pope ◽  
Chia-Lin Tsai
Keyword(s):  
Food System ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Regional Food ◽  
Direct To Consumer ◽  
Vegetable Farmers ◽  
Regional Food System ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Financial Losses ◽  
Better Than

Initial forecasts predicted severe financial losses for small and midsized farmers as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted usual market channels nationwide. Early reports both confirmed and challenged these fears, as some farmers could not find new markets while others established or expanded their direct-to-consumer sales to replace their lost outlets. To understand the impact of the pandemic on Pennsylvania farmers across the entire 2020 growing season, Chatham University and Pasa Sustainable Agriculture[1] surveyed farmers and performed interviews with a subset of these farmers. The anonymous survey was distributed by Pennsylvania-based farm organizations to their constituents, predominantly through email. Just under half the farmers (42%) reported a loss of revenue, while over half (58%) reported either no change or an increase in revenue in 2020. The scale of these changes varied greatly. We also found that vegetable farmers fared slightly better than livestock/eggs/dairy farmers; those with a higher pre-COVID revenue did better than those with a lower pre-COVID revenue; and farms that were able to increase direct-to-consumer sales maintained or increased their total revenues. Participation in state and federal relief programs varied and appeared to have no significant effect on farmers’ final 2020 revenue. Farmers’ responses to the open-ended survey questions demonstrated that the weather, a lack of infrastructure to support small and midsized producers, and consumers’ lack of support for a regional food system were major challenges before COVID. Without meaningful policy changes, these challenges will persist beyond the pandemic’s resolution.

THE IMPACT OF T HE STATE ON CREATING CONDITIONS TO ENSURE FOOD SECURIT Y IN THE NATIONAL AND REGIONAL DIMENSION

2018 ◽  
Vol XX (5) ◽  
pp. 242-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dariusz Żmija ◽  
Katarzyna Żmija ◽  
Marta Czekaj
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food System ◽  
Regional Food ◽  
Its Regions ◽  
Regional Food System ◽  
Technical Issues ◽  
Access To Food ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Physical Availability ◽  
Multidimensional Concept

The aim of the study was to identify the key directions of state influence which guarantee food security of the country and its regions, i.e. ensure physical availability of food, physical and economic access to food, its security and stability of the food system. The empirical study was based on the results of the workshops, which were organized in 2017 in the Rzeszów subregion, and whose participants were broadly understood stakeholders of the regional food system. The research results indicate that food security is a multidimensional concept referring to economic, political, demographic, social, cultural and technical issues. It requires to take various types of actions at the same time, carried out at various levels of state authorities, implemented in different areas.

scholarly journals UNCOVERING PRODUCTION FLOWS FROM SMALL FARMS: RESULTS FROM POLAND AND PORTUGAL CASE STUDIES

2019 ◽  
Vol XXI (3) ◽  
pp. 49-61
Author(s):  
Marta Czekaj ◽  
Paola Hernández ◽  
Ana Fonseca ◽  
Maria Rivera ◽  
Katarzyna Żmija ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Food System ◽  
Food Product ◽  
Small Farmers ◽  
Small Farms ◽  
Regional Food ◽  
Product Maps ◽  
The Impact

This study is an attempt to assess the impact of small farms (SF) on the regional food product circulation of specific key products in selected, fragmented, agrarian regions in Poland and Portugal. The empirical study is based on the analysis of food product maps which were developed based on data from a survey conducted among owners of small farms and small food businesses at focus group meetings and workshops organized in 2017 and 2018 in the Nowotarski and Nowosądecki subregions in Poland and in the Alentejo Central and Oeste subregions in Portugal. Qualitative data analysis was conducted using uniform methodology. In each of the subregions, focus groups helped to confront the assumptions resulting from surveys and corroborate the flows and fluxes described in the developed food product maps. Data collected during focus groups were enriched by data gathered during regional workshops that focused on food system governance. It was concluded that food product maps indicate interesting relationship flows of small farmers’ products along the food system, highlighting the role of fluxes connecting small farmers with other actors regarding specific key products. Several similarities and disparities between regional KP production flows in the Portuguese and Polish subregions, based on the type of key product, the various distribution channels and farming capacities present in each subregion were observed.

scholarly journals A food nonprofit's response to COVID-19: The Common Market leans on its mission to serve

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Caitlin Honan
Keyword(s):  
Food System ◽  
Active Regions ◽  
Common Market ◽  
Family Farms ◽  
Regional Food ◽  
Food Hub ◽  
The Family ◽  
Regional Food System ◽  
The Common ◽  
Good Food

The Common Market is a nonprofit regional food distributor with a mission to connect communities with good food from sustainable family farms. Outputs of their work include improved food security, farm viability, and community and ecological health. The nonprofit services communities in its three active regions—the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, and Houston, Texas—by delivering healthy farm food to the institutions that serve them: schools, hospitals, eldercare facilities, early childhood education centers, etc. As the COVID-19 pandemic struck the nation, it shut down some of the nonprofit’s con­ventional wholesale outlets and exposed and intensified the issue of food insecurity throughout the country. The food hub prepared to lean on its mission intensely and creatively under these unprece­dented circumstances. Poised to test the limits of a regional food system, The Common Market unveiled the resilient spirits of its team, its partners, and the family farms that make up its network. This essay highlights partnerships that ignited meaningful impact for their farmer partners and helped meet the needs of vulnerable populations amidst the pandemic. . . .

scholarly journals Recent Changes in the Regional Structure of U.S. Dairy Production

1988 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgit Huy ◽  
Joachim G. Elferich ◽  
Conrado M. Gempesaw
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Production ◽  
Shadow Prices ◽  
Regional Structure ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
Milk Supply ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Demand Elasticities ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Recent Policy ◽  
Production Characteristics

Gauging the impact of recent policy changes, this article analyzes production characteristics and the impact of the dairy assessment for northeastern dairy farmers as compared to other major production regions. Employing a restricted translog variable profit function, returns to size, shadow prices, supply elasticities for milk and livestock as well as demand elasticities for concentrate were estimated. Northeastern, just as midwestern farmers, were less responsive in milk supply and concentrate demand, more responsive in livestock production, and less efficient than their California and Texas counterparts. The dairy assessment affected profits of northeastern farmers later than those of other regions. Negative shadow prices indicated overinvestment into fixed factors.

scholarly journals Forecasting Aid to Families With Dependent Children Caseloads and Payments in Delaware

1979 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-38
Author(s):  
Richard F. Bieker
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Turning Points ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
Dependent Children ◽  
Quarterly Data ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Better Than

The purpose of this paper is to present a model which was developed to forecast Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) caseloads and payments in Delaware. The model consists of a caseload equation, a paynlents equation and three labor market equations. The model, which was fitted statistically using quarterly data for the period 1958-1976, forecasts significantly better than trend type models. In addition, the model, unlike trend type models has the potential for forecasting turning points and can be used to simulate the impact of proposed policy changes.

scholarly journals Participatory mapping of regional food assets using volunteered geographic information systems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Fast
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Volunteered Geographic Information ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Participatory Mapping ◽  
Regional Food ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Systems Framework ◽  
The Impact

Local food systems are increasingly being studied in response to the threats imposed on global agri-industrial food systems. Central to local food is the community who is imaging and implementing diverse and hyper-local food assets, which are making a significant, but largely unknown, contribution to food security, resiliency, and sustainability. It is important to align these assets with broader regional food policies, programs, and regulations. However, there are few mechanisms to engage stakeholders or share local information. One possible mechanism to learn about local food assets is volunteered geographic information (VGI); a phenomenon that blends crowdsourcing, citizen science, and online mapping. It is currently being studied for its ability to engage and gather information from diverse and under-represented groups. This policy-relevant research investigates how VGI can support greater engagement and knowledge sharing across diverse food stakeholders. To achieve this objective, the VGI system framework is established to study the processes that support the creation of VGI. Next, the new era of food mapping, dubbed Food Mapping 2.0, is investigated to understand the impact evolving mapping techniques have on the engagement of food stakeholders. Lastly, the VGI systems framework, which is embedded in participatory geographic information system and participatory action research methods, is applied to support participatory mapping of regional food assets in Durham Region. His research gathered contributions on over 200 food assets in Durham Region – an upper-tier municipality just east of Toronto consisting of eight lower-tier municipalities – effectively capturing the distributed intelligence of government, not-for-profit, and community stakeholders. The crowdsourced data include locations, descriptions, and media related to farms, markets, community gardens, foodscapes, and other innovative food assets. The community identified urban food assets as a central strength of the regional food system. Overall, this project enabled the creation of an open food assets dataset, further supporting the development of an online Food Assets map and a Crowdsourcing Urban Food Assets report, which are collective used to inform future food policy, regulation, and program development. Overall, this research revealed a uniquely local and community-driven perspective about food system assets within Durham, while serving as a prototype of the VGI systems framework.

scholarly journals Participatory mapping of regional food assets using volunteered geographic information systems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Fast
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Volunteered Geographic Information ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Participatory Mapping ◽  
Regional Food ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Systems Framework ◽  
The Impact

Local food systems are increasingly being studied in response to the threats imposed on global agri-industrial food systems. Central to local food is the community who is imaging and implementing diverse and hyper-local food assets, which are making a significant, but largely unknown, contribution to food security, resiliency, and sustainability. It is important to align these assets with broader regional food policies, programs, and regulations. However, there are few mechanisms to engage stakeholders or share local information. One possible mechanism to learn about local food assets is volunteered geographic information (VGI); a phenomenon that blends crowdsourcing, citizen science, and online mapping. It is currently being studied for its ability to engage and gather information from diverse and under-represented groups. This policy-relevant research investigates how VGI can support greater engagement and knowledge sharing across diverse food stakeholders. To achieve this objective, the VGI system framework is established to study the processes that support the creation of VGI. Next, the new era of food mapping, dubbed Food Mapping 2.0, is investigated to understand the impact evolving mapping techniques have on the engagement of food stakeholders. Lastly, the VGI systems framework, which is embedded in participatory geographic information system and participatory action research methods, is applied to support participatory mapping of regional food assets in Durham Region. His research gathered contributions on over 200 food assets in Durham Region – an upper-tier municipality just east of Toronto consisting of eight lower-tier municipalities – effectively capturing the distributed intelligence of government, not-for-profit, and community stakeholders. The crowdsourced data include locations, descriptions, and media related to farms, markets, community gardens, foodscapes, and other innovative food assets. The community identified urban food assets as a central strength of the regional food system. Overall, this project enabled the creation of an open food assets dataset, further supporting the development of an online Food Assets map and a Crowdsourcing Urban Food Assets report, which are collective used to inform future food policy, regulation, and program development. Overall, this research revealed a uniquely local and community-driven perspective about food system assets within Durham, while serving as a prototype of the VGI systems framework.

scholarly journals Using Network Analysis to Identify Key Actors in Collaborative Governance Processes

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-145
Author(s):  
Julia L. Carboni ◽  
Saba Siddiki ◽  
Chris Koski ◽  
Abdul-Akeem Sadiq
Keyword(s):  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Food System ◽  
Collaborative Governance ◽  
Multiple Stakeholders ◽  
Regional Food ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Network Methods ◽  
Governance Process ◽  
Regional Food System ◽  
Governance Processes

AbstractCollaborative governance is an increasingly popular form of governance. In theory, collaborative governance processes should be inclusive and value the perspectives of multiple stakeholders, including nonprofit organizations. In practice, this may not be the case. Recent work on representation in collaborative governance has found asymmetry in the way actor groups are descriptively and substantively represented in the collaborative governance process. We extend this line of work by employing network methods to create a diagnostic tool to identify which individual actors are substantively represented in collaborative governance processes over time. This tool is designed to systematically evaluate whether individual actors are under or overrepresented in collaborative governance. It provides a starting point for groups to discuss whether they are functionally inclusive and to understand whether non-inclusion is random or systematic. We apply the tool to collaborative governance in a regional food system and find variance in substantive representation by actor, indicating the collaborative governance process diverges from its inclusive design in practice. In particular, nonprofit organizations who are formally part of the collaborative governance process are not substantively represented in formal meetings to the same degree as city and county agencies.

Local or global: A biophysical analysis of a regional food system

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 523-533
Author(s):  
Meidad Kissinger ◽  
Cornelia Sussmann ◽  
Caitlin Dorward ◽  
Kent Mullinix
Keyword(s):  
Food Supply ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Regional Food ◽  
Family Approach ◽  
Regional Food System ◽  
System Sustainability

AbstractGrowing concern regarding environmental, social, economic and food quality outcomes of the modern global industrial food system as well as the implications of climate change on food security and food system sustainability have fomented interest in, and action to advance localized food systems. Environmental stewardship is an oft-touted benefit of food system localization. However, few studies have comparatively examined actual environmental benefits of local versus global supply systems and most focus on only one aspect (e.g., GHG emissions). The study reported here comparatively analyzes land, water, carbon and ecological footprints of a localized food supply and contemporary global food supply for the South-West British Columbia (Canada), bioregion (SWBC). The footprint family approach utilized allows measuring overall biophysical loads for the studied region. We quantified regional rates of reliance on imported biophysical services; measured the performances of specific food products grown locally in comparison with their imported counterparts; and identified those commodities that have better and worse local biophysical performances. For the SWBC bioregion, only 35% of the food consumed in the region is locally produced. Supplying the region's food demands requires 2 million hectares of land and 3 billion m3 of water, generating approximately 2.8 million tons of CO2e, with an eco-footprint of 2.5 million gha. Examining a large number of commodities grown and consumed in the bioregion revealed that only some commodities grown locally have absolute or significant biophysical advantages, while the rest have very little to no local advantage. Our analysis challenges the notion that local food systems are necessarily more environmentally sustainable from a biophysical resource use perspective and therefore may not represent the most compelling argument(s) for food system localization. We call for better and more comprehensive comparative analysis of existing and desired food systems as a mean to advance sustainability.

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