Week 12

The Hodgson chapter contained eleven case-studies from cities around the U.S. and Canada looking at planning for urban agriculture. Some of the cities had a long history with food-systems planning and strong city-led support for urban agriculture, like Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver, while others have only just begun to plan for urban agriculture, like Minneapolis and Cleveland (Hodgson, 2012). New Orleans is included in this chapter, despite the relative lack of interest and action on the part of local government officials. Up to this point, the urban agriculture initiatives in New Orleans have been undertaken by grassroots community organizations and larger non profit organization, while planners and city officials wrestle with other pressing issues like affordable housing and funding problems (Hodgson, 2012). The New Orleans example is especially interesting because it looks at the role of urban agriculture in the efforts to recover and rebuild after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, which severely damaged the city’s food system along with many communities, and resulted in a large increase of vacant urban land (Hodgson, 2012). Despite some potential progress in terms of government support, like the 2008 Master Plan which mentions urban agriculture in several sections and recommends policies and zoning codes allowing agricultural activities as permitted uses, most of the work being carried out on the city’s food system is being carried out by activists, and this may remain the case for some time (Hodgson, 2012).

For whatever reason, this reading made me think of an old friend of mine. When I was sixteen I developed an unlikely friendship with a young woman I met at a local coffee shop. She was involved with various environmental and social justice movements, and described herself as a guerilla-gardener. She owned half an acre on the outskirts of town which she transformed into a food forest, with a variety of fruit trees, blueberry bushes, muscadine grapevines, and large vegetable beds. The first time I visited her garden she was busy making “seed bombs”, balls made from a mixture of compost and clay containing seeds (in this case native wildflowers like milkweed), which she then carried around town to toss onto vacant lots and right-of-ways. Her philosophy, both in general and in terms of urban agriculture, was: It is easier to ask for (and to receive) forgiveness than permission.

I was reminded of her philosophy when reading about some of the zoning codes that recognize and allow for urban agriculture and livestock, but regulate them restrictively, like Philadelphia’s code that prohibits farms and community gardens in low-density residential areas (Hodgson, 2012), or ordinances that allow backyard livestock, but with (arguably) unreasonably large setbacks from neighboring residences (Butler, 2012). I understand that recognizing urban agriculture in zoning codes has the potential to create benefits such as greater security of land tenure and the allowance of on-site sales, but it is disappointing that in some cases it seems like legitimizing urban agriculture increases barriers to such activities rather than facilitating it. It seems like some urban farmers may find that they had an easier time existing under the radar than as a recognized use.

Week 12: Reflection on Planning Local Food Environments

Throughout this entire semester we've been learning about food systems on a macro, micro, local and international level.
But the real change starts from the ground up; how are local food systems implemented in a way that they'll grow, become mainstream and be sustainable for the community residents and local farmers?
Wal-Mart trying to save millions of dollars a year in fuel costs by buying food that's local isn't necessarily good if they're underpaying small producers.
Planning a local food system requires a multitude of players and partnerships from the local community and the government to get it working and benefit people.
Initiatives from the local government that can improve the local food environment are passing zoning laws that don't restrict urban agriculture, fund community garden groups and organizations to maintain them, farm to school programs that get healthy food in school cafeterias while providing education, organize public transit routes to get to community gardens and farmer's markets and fund local food projects.
Planning and community cooperation are what really start the food initiative and change government laws and procedures. Through community groups getting involved to make a difference and pursuing to get people more access to fresh, local produce is what's the most important.
Laws that encourage healthy lifestyles, community gardens and create an emphasis on locally grown can foster social ties between producer to consumer and throughout the neighborhood.
More and more cities are incorporating urban agriculture in city planning as it helps revitalize communities, foster community unity and provide access to fresh food.
Although, a strong food council is important in inspiring to create change, help locals and create opportunities for stronger local food networks, I think that the local food system can only grow so much.
Not everyone is going to buy from farmers markets as it is much more convenient to go to the big chain grocery stores and buy organic potatoes there instead of on a Saturday morning when the market is open. The commercialization of farmers markets can also render them useless if they're only selling "luxury" to higher income brackets if there are none to help provide access to the people less fortunate.
Farmer's markets count for only 1% of national food but that's still a billion dollars yearly.
Local food is growing more important as more and more people are becoming educated about big-box corps and their nutrition.

Week 12 Reflection

The group discussion we had in class has given me a few ideas on how we can move closer to a more sustainable food system.  And when I say “we” I suppose I mean planners, food and health advocates, farmers, politicians, sociologists, economists, as Campbell as well as Born and Purcell did in their respective articles assigned for this week. It was great to read on how food system planning has gained significance in various disciplines, I myself never thought that I would learn so much about how food relates to planning, as I want to specialize in community or economic development planning. But everything I learned in this class will better assist me in my specialization studies, because it will make me a more conscious student. But back to my idea, I am thinking that that creating a food council that is an acting component of corporate food businesses would help incorporate the food movement into the corporate world. Because to me, it seems that they are the ones who have the most control over our food system. 

These corporations are businesses like Walmart, Sam’s Club, Publix, all large supermarket chains who supply the American public with the majority of their food supply. A food council, similar to the Toronto Food Policy Counsel we talked about last week, could help to create and implement policy change that could help these corporations move toward more sustainable practices by serving multiple functions such as supporting alternative food systems, providing educational programs, and organizing community groups and advocacy groups. I like Campbell’s idea of “building a common table” for food stakeholders, but I think that our corporate food suppliers as well as the national government will be the last two stakeholders to sit at this metaphorical table. Food planning needs to be inserted into the playing field of these two players in order to change the game. This idea is a little ambiguous I know, but there are multiple scales of power at work in our food system, and those at the top of the scale need to want a sustainable food system in order for it to become sustainable. A question to the class: what other means of negotiation can food planners make to insert food planning into the agendas of food corporations? 

week 12 Reflection

Many people rely on local food systems in order to live, or make a living. "Buying local" is great and all, but it is not realistic for everyone. Some communities don't have any locally produced foods at all. Some communities are set up to where only people with cars have availability to purchase locally grown foods. For many people, it is much more convenient to purchase food products that were shipped to the location by large corporations. Not everyone has easy access to farmers markets, CSA's, or community gardens.

Having said that, the people that do have access to resources such as CSA's and farmers markets can greatly benefit from them. In some cases, food at farmers markets is cheaper than anything you can find at the super market. Additionally, food from farmers markets tend to be extremely fresh and are not contaminated by loads of preservatives that are used some some supermarket products. This promotes a healthier lifestyle, costs the consumer less money, and supports local farmers and businesses, which is always good for the local economy.

I am all for only buying local foods and products to eat healthier and support local farmers. But, part of what makes this country great is the freedom to expand your business beyond just your local community. Many of the large companies that send products all over this nation started out as small, local businesses. With great success comes growth. So if any local food producer starts to incur success, they will eventually grow beyond the local community and maybe become a national company. And the cycle continues.

If we abandon buying products from the large, national producers in this nation, the economy will be impacted very negatively. So in conclusion, I believe that we should support local food producers by attending farmers markets and CSA's, but we shouldn't completely abandon the supermarket.

Local food from Wally-world, Week 12

This week’s readings hone in on a few different key concepts. One major question brought up throughout the literature is whether or not eating local and focusing on solely local food movements as a planner are viable solutions to having sustainable food systems. Others include the tensions currently within the food system, how to promote healthy eating and the ways in which that intertwines within the community, and ultimately how all of these intersect within the planning arena for food systems.

First off, depending if your goal is to have a sustainable food system for your community or if you’re working on a regional or larger scale, the sustainability of the food system may have different needs. Born and Purcell identify this idea of the local trap and bring into question whether focusing on just local food really is applicable for everyone and if it really hones in on the need for sustainable and accessible food system. I think that this ties nicely into the need to promote healthy eating in that, although some foods may be deemed as ‘local’, does that necessarily make them the best choice out there or the healthiest? I think the example of Wal-mart being a supplier of ‘local foods’ is a great example to show that the movement overall is shifting into more of a media tool than an educational venue for uncovering the issues with the current global system. In this way, it’d relaly important to emphasize the need for healthy foods and the need for planners to re-address the values and goals for changing the food system; making them explicitly adhere to what the community really wants and not just the terminology of local foods.

I think that DeLind makes this point really clear; that we need to re-emphasizve the local food movement’s systemic roots-starting with local visibility and empowerment. This speaks to the need to refocus on sustainable systems and look at the issues occurring with the whole food system, not just the place-specific areas and the ‘local-ness’ of the food, but the quality and impact that the food has on the greater society. This can be achieved through conversation and through analyzing values and goals of the individual and of the community as a whole; ultimately looking at the global impacts within local choice. This gets back to the understanding that the food system essentially is ‘the place where the local meets the global’ [Gottlieb 2001], which extends beyond just choice of food and the physical place of it, but makes the understanding that local choice and local impact also impact and are impacted by global choice and global impact, extending from sustainable land use to health and quality of the food and the means by which it gets to your plate.

With all of these tensions that are outlined within Campbell’s ‘Building a Common Table’, ‘It’s important to also keep in mind these greater values and goals outlined within the local food movement that have larger purposes solutions; i.e. social and environmental justice issues, issues of race, health and economic inequities, and access. Eating local is great, supporting the local economy is great, making sure that the local foods your eating are healthy and sustainable and really creating that visibility is great. I also think it’s important to focus on these larger solutions that local food systems can have and as a planner, allowing this to be incorporated into the greater community conversation can allow for planners to realign the values of the community (maybe they’re main priorities aren’t good) and really show the connection between food and the social and economic structure of the area; particularly when addressing and promoting health and trying to overcome the tensions in the food system as outlined by Campbell in Table 2.

After reading these articles and weighing more on the local food movement and it’s perceptions to society. What do you think makes up the local food movement? Who is following it the most? Have you seen other ‘bad’ examples such as Wal-Mart marketing local food?

Week 12 Blog

The readings this week discuss the local food movement and how preconceived notions of "local" make be harmful in the greater food movement. The idea of local food is typically a positive one where the community is involved, the farmers are gaining a direct benefit from it and there is unprecedented access. This notion of the local food system however is not as pristine as one might think, the Branden Born article mentions the idea of the local trap which is essentially the glorification of the local food system and how it is inherently better than what one might get from the larger commercial scale. It brings forth the idea that people perceive the local system to meet all of their assumptions, these include the idea that the farms that are growing these products are doing so in a sustainable way while also being sure to completely avoid the use of pesticides or other additives which one might find at a larger scale. It brings forth the idea that planners may neglect their overall goal and duties based on their allegiance to the local food system, it also creates a sort of emphasis on local food which might not be able to be accurately scaled to meet the demands of a community that finds itself more and more interested in it. All of this culminates to create this trendy idea of the local food movement and system which ignore the qualities that the local movement should be built on such as sustainability and providing access to affordable healthy food for the greater community. Beyond that the local food movement assumes that it will promote a sense of social interaction and growth within a community, however the argument can be made that peoples habits won't change even if they shop together at a farmers market as opposed to a major grocery store.
  By careful planning and widespread community engagement coupled with assistance by those in a position to directly create positive change, planners can spearhead movement to optimize the local food system. By working to promote the values of a local food system which encourages environmental consideration and economic and social benefits to the community, one can see why the idea is so appealing.

Week 12 Reflection

            Among the numerous ways to promote healthy eating, two programs that stuck me with curiosity were Farmer’s Markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). While farmers markets are a common way to provide nutritional, affordable food to low-income residential areas, these same areas find difficulty in participating in CSAs. A one time large payment or incremental smaller ones are harder for low-income families to afford and with such a dependence on the crops available for that season families may not like their seasonal options. While these concerns between farmer and consumer can be accommodated through recipes and communication, why don't CSAs target the upper class in urban areas and Farmers Market target low-income neighborhoods to help the appropriate communities who can afford different things?

            I believe this could make a hierarchy within the food system planning that puts farmer’s markets on the lower end of a spectrum, while CSA are on the higher end. If low-income families involve themselves in farmer’s markets jobs to generate higher incomes they could eventually be able to work up to solidifying their ability to consistently purchase from CSA’s. This would create motivation and competition within low-income neighborhoods to increase their economic status. However, creating a hierarchy within the food system planning could create competition between farmers so that farmers from farmer’s markets compete to increase their yields and revenue to switch to CSA’s – or they may want to sell to a higher income community. This would leave low-income communities to fend for themselves yet again, against food swaps and food deserts that engulf them. Without addressing the concerns of income equality to purchase nutritious foods in different systems of food providers, the fear of division and profit may hinder collaboration for a culturally diverse and aware community maintaining sustainable actions.

            Although this blog may be a stretch, it is something that came across my mind while reading. It hypothetically addresses the challenges of different food programs and how they could affect the overall community system. Do you think there’s a chance of this occurring, if not what affects do you see of how food programs interact in positive and negative scenarios.