The benefits of having a local food system are quite widespread. These advantages may be broken down into four categories: economic, social, environmental, and ethical. In addition to lowering the expenses associated with transportation, local food systems are reliant on supply chains that are relatively short. Farmers are able to sell their goods locally since there are short supply chains. Because of this, there is less of a need for things that are imported, which contributes to an improvement in the nation's overall food security. Even while regional food systems may not be flawless, they could be quite productive nevertheless.
Local food sales climbed by 45 percent from 2012 to 2013, according to a new research conducted by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture in the state of Iowa. This equates to a total of $22 million in revenue over the course of two years. This upward trend is cause for optimism since it will lead to the creation of 171 new employment. This demonstrates that the production of food close to where it is consumed and produced is an essential component of a healthy food system for both farmers and consumers. Businesses can maintain a more steady supply of food and contribute to the economic health of their communities if local food systems are supported and promoted.
Farmers markets, farm-to-school programs, and regional food hubs are all on the rise, according to a research that was published by the Economic Research Service of the USDA not too long ago and titled "Trends in US Local and Regional Food Systems." Local food systems are also responsible for the creation of additional job possibilities and the preservation of vital green places. Consuming food grown in the immediate area helps to stop the destruction of agriculture and maintains fishermen's access to waterways. These financial perks are definitely worth looking into and learning more about. But how exactly can you quantify the advantages of having a local food system? The AMS report provides direction in the form of seven separate components.
The demand for foods that are locally grown, organically grown, and produced in a sustainable manner has risen as the population of the globe becomes more health aware. Farmers, ranchers, and consumers, as well as the environment, all stand to gain from the adoption of these techniques. These advantages are not limited to improving the health of local residents or the surrounding environment. In point of fact, many of the advantages of regional food systems may be obtained with very little effort. A couple of these advantages are listed below.
To begin, the advantages of consuming locally grown foods are generally recognized. Consumers usually have the mindset that locally produced foods are better for the environment since they are more likely to be grown locally. On the other hand, this is not always the case. For instance, although eating locally sourced food may be thought of as more environmentally friendly, it also needs less transportation. Because of this, it is impossible to accurately assess the positive effects that eating foods produced locally has on the ecosystem. The shorter distances that exist between farmers and consumers are primarily responsible for the positive effects that regional food systems have on society.
It is difficult to oversimplify the effects of local food systems have on both the environment and society. Local food systems may boost community and rural development, as well as lower their carbon footprints, in addition to the social advantages they provide. Local food systems may even be able to boost profits and provide new employment opportunities in certain circumstances. It is not completely recognized how beneficial to the local economy local food systems are. However, there is still a significant amount of uncertainty about the influence that community-based food systems have. It is important to carefully consider the evidence.
To begin, it is common practice to exaggerate the positive effect that regional food systems have on the economy. The majority of research use the assumption that buying local food would boost consumer expenditure, which may be an exaggeration. In addition to this, the local food system has a better chance of fostering economic growth since it will direct customers toward local producers. In certain instances, the establishment of new local food enterprises and the growth of existing small businesses are both facilitated by local food networks. There are even situations in which local food systems might function as a kind of "incubator" for local companies.
Throughout the decade of the 1970s, there was a rising awareness on the part of the general public about concerns of food and farming. At the time, environmental, social, and economic problems were already being written about by philosophers and activists. Frances Moore Lappe made the first proposal for the environmental ethic in the year 1971. In the 1980s, food protests and the counter-culture movement began to receive prominence. During this same decade, the creation of consumer food co-ops and the production of organic food were key parts of the American scene.
The struggle to alter our food system entails a complicated set of core principles, and the ethics of local food systems are not an exception to this rule. On the other hand, a growing number of people are investigating their own eating habits in order to take a more ethical attitude. Even though they are significant, these efforts are often a reaction to a more comprehensive kind of social organization. As a consequence of this, it is very necessary to get involved in political and social activities and to advocate for structural change. Many people see participating in the food movement as a kind of political protest.
The authors of this research came to the conclusion that the connection between rural and urban food systems is a complicated one, as it involves many tiers of firms that are involved in the production and distribution of food. Although agricultural goods only account for a tiny portion of overall food costs, consumers are becoming more and further removed from the farms from where their food originates. The authors speculate that the proliferation of new distribution channels is providing chances for local farmers to sell their produce. In addition to this, they shed light on a number of significant developments that have taken place within the contemporary food movement.
Small and medium-sized farms get help from regional food systems. During the 1990s, these various food sources could be purchased at neighborhood farmer's markets. Between the years 1994 and 2017, there was a rise in the number of farmer's markets; however, many of these markets have since shut down, and some academics dispute whether or not they are really successful. Even while there are some farmers markets that are successful, other experts are concerned that the current slowdown may be due to the quick development of farmers' markets in locations where there is a great demand for them.
A multitude of research and publications on UFS have arisen as a result of the increasing urbanization of food systems and their susceptibility to disruption. This study focuses on the first comprehensive bibliometric examination of UFS research to date, with a particular emphasis on the 5,360 articles that are part of the core collection for World of Science. The study also demonstrates how comparative research across various locations might be beneficial to UFS research. The absence of information from low-income nations, which is where research on UFS is required the most, is one of the most significant problems with the study.
Even though there has been a rise in the number of publications on UFS, the topic is still not very well established and is little understood. Many studies have focused on sustainability in the years after the adoption of the SDGs by the UN in 2015. However, the evaluation of the UFS's sustainability is not yet completely understood and is still primarily speculative. The majority of research are still in the conceptual stage, despite the fact that some have built frameworks for the sustainability evaluation of UFS. The information that was obtained as a consequence is not sufficient for the growth of UFS research and policy.