Scaling-up Local/Regional Food Systems.

The local food system is one of the fastest-growing, most promising markets in agriculture today. The concept behind local foods is based on one central idea: food grown, processed, and sold locally is better for farmers, consumers, communities, and the environment. Local and regional food systems have been promoted for their environmental benefits (less fossil fuel use in transporting food shorter distances), nutritional benefits (greater vitamin retention with reduced post-harvest time), and enhancement of employment opportunities in rural communities. In the early 1900s, almost all agricultural systems were local food systems, but with the technological innovations of the 20^th century, most of the local facilities, transportation and delivery systems, and marketing connections have disappeared.  Much of what remains is designed for agricultural scales well beyond the needs of local food. Generally, local food implies that all production, processing, and retail of food occurs within a specific locality, and that all production, processing, and retail operations are locally owned. Constraints limiting the ‘scaling-up’ of local/regional food systems that will be discussed include production issues (improved soil quality and pest management to sustain optimal yields); processing and distribution; niche market development; entrepreneurship training; third-party certification (organic/eco-labels); city/state/federal policy supporting local food systems (planning and zoning, tax incentives for local foods development, Food Policy Councils); and facilitation of purchases and distribution to local schools, food pantries and institutions. Examples from Iowa and Nebraska local food systems efforts will be discussed.