What are some of the typical obstacles that communities face in establishing a local food system?

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What are some of the typical obstacles that communities face inestablishing a local food system?

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INTRODUCTION Rural economy is depending more and more on the use of local assets and the ability to offer unique products or services matched to regional assets There are growing opportunities in both foods that have a regional appellation and in the production of food for local consumption The first provides an opportunity to market a regions food products to a global audience while the latter connects local farmers to the community in which they reside Both provide an opportunity for increased valueadded and can increase farm viability Shorter more localized food supply chains have been proposed as a vehicle for sustainable development In the last few years there has been not only a multiplication of studies and position papers on local food by nongovernmental organizations NGOs and different networks but also a growing interest by the public sector for local food such as the buy local campaigns and labels in many Canadian provinces and territories Over the last 60 years Canadas overall food system has become more geared to largescale systems of production distribution and retail There is now a growing interest in the production processing and buying of local food New local food systems are being set up to organize the various components that will meet the needs of all the stakeholders in the community or region The Soil Association defines a sustainable local food economy as a system of producing processing and trading primarily of organic and sustainable forms of food production where the physical and economic activity is largely contained and controlled within the locality or region where it was produced which delivers health economic environmental and social benefits to the communities in those areas Local food system example of USA Food and Nutrition Service Programs USDAs Food and Nutrition Service administers two important programs that promote the use of farmers markets and are available in most States the Farmers Market Nutrition Program FMNP and the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program SFMNP The FMNP was established by Congress in 1992 to provide Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children WIC participants with coupons in addition to their regular WIC benefits that can be exchanged for eligible foods from farmers farmers markets and roadside stands Agricultural Marketing Service Programs USDAs Agricultural Marketing Service administers several grant programs supporting local food initiatives across the country The Federal State Marketing Improvement Program FSMIP provides matching funds to State agencies to assist in exploring new market opportunities for food and agricultural products and encourage research to improve the performance of the food marketing system In 2009 8 out of 23 grants awarded went to projects supporting local foods such as funding to improve the effectiveness of Colorado MarketMaker MarketMaker is a national partnership of land grant institutions and State departments of agriculture dedicated to building an electronic infrastructure that would more easily connect farmers with economically viable new markets It provides an interactive mapping system that locates buyers eg retailers wholesalers processors and sources of agricultural products eg farmers farmers markets Community Supported Agriculture CSA In the USA there are 1000 CSAs with 77000 member and 36 million of income The basic model is simple consumers pay growers for a share of the total farm produce and growers provide a weekly share of food of a guaranteed quality and quantity Consumers typically pay two to five hundred dollars for a seasons share It has been established that members would on average have to pay a third more for the same food at a supermarket One study in Massachusetts indicted that a 470 share was equivalent to 700 worth of produce if bought conventionally CSAs also encourage social responsibility increase See Answer

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