Developing Local Food Systems in the South
H.L. Goodwin Jr.
Local food systems have been heralded as an avenue to provide quality food to local consumers grown profitably by local producers. This article introduces an overview of the Land Grant System's role in peeling back the complex layers of risk management, consumer demand, marketing, food safety and environmental and economic effects in developing viable local food system.
Kenesha Reynolds-Allie, Deacue Fields, and Ron Rainey
Small farms participating in local food systems continue to increase; however, these farms continuously encounter risks that are difficult to overcome given limited resources. This creates the need for continued research to develop suitable, cost-effective risk management strategies to mitigate the impact of risk and increase the competitive advantage of these farmers.
Marco A. Palma, Kim Morgan, Tim Woods, and Sean McCoy
This paper provides an overview of the role of local food systems in satisfying the demand for local food. Particular attention is given to the challenges and opportunities that confront local food systems in Southern agriculture and the role that land grant universities may play in collaborating with and integrating stakeholders.
Timothy Woods, Margarita Velandia, Rodney Holcomb, Rebecca Dunning and Eric Bendfeldt
The demand for local food has brought about a variety of supply chain alternatives delivering these products to local markets. Local producers and consumers have been connected by alternative aggregation and distribution strategies with varied success. Public agency roles in the development of these supply chains need to be considered.
Rodney B. Holcomb, Marco A. Palma, and Margarita M. Velandia
Recently enacted food safety legislation and international movements towards food safety verification are reverberating throughout the food industry. However, uncertainty exists regarding the final rules of recently enacted legislation and exemptions for small producers. This report examines the food safety issues facing local food suppliers as they evaluate marketing options.
R. David Lamie, Rebecca Dunning, Eric Bendfeldt, Joanna Massey Lelekacs, Margarita Velandia and Lee Meyer
By fostering Local Food Systems, communities can garner positive social, economic, and environmental benefits. Adopting collaborative and systems-based approaches, which utilize a set of research-based tools and common measures, increases the likelihood that such broad-based outcomes occur.
