Michael Shuman, Project Director for the Northeast Ohio Local Food System Assessment and Plan, discusses the need to develop a blueprint for a NEO Food Authority as a way to raise some initial capital to finance a variety of key local food meta-businesses. Solving the capital problem, he contends, will unleash a variety of businesses and activities in local food systems and support future growth. He envisions the eventual creation of multiple food authorities to support and capitalize efforts across the NEO region, but emphasizes the need to start with one model organization. The NEO Food Authority would provide a new type of organization that supports more self-sustaining efforts that facilitate a stronger local food economies, from business to business matching to local currencies or consumer mobilization.
