Leslie Schaller with the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACENet) gives a quick overview of organizing local food systems through value-chain development. She talks about how ACENet collaborates with other organizations in southeastern Ohio to provide support for entrepreneurs linked to all nodes along the value chain: marketing, production, processing, distribution, aggregation, and policy. She discusses the importance of facilitating communication linkages between entrepreneurs from different sectors to foster greater collaboration and stronger local economic networks. The network approach means that no one entrepreneur works alone. It also means that individuals can be productive participants in a local food system, regardless of the scale at which they work. For example, some community gardeners gain important growing skills that lead to market farming opportunities down the road.
Videos tagged as 'regional food systems'
Casey Hoy, Kellogg endowed chair of the AgroEcosystems Management Program at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster, describes how agriculture in Ohio has had a historic orientation toward export-oriented production. While Ohio began as a largely rural and farm-based economy in the 1800's, Hoy notes that urban populations have since moved in. However, there are still many un-explored economic connections that can be created between Ohio's urban centers and the surrounding rural areas. Hoy looks to local food systems as creating a significant growth space in regional economic systems at a time that the global economy has become less stable and reliable. He describes the unique ecologies of Ohio and how they can support a wide variety of diverse foods.
Brian Gwin serves as a project manager for the Wayne County Economic Development Council. Gwin describes the importance of rural land-use and agriculture in shaping a stronger regional economy in Northeast Ohio. He talks about greater Wayne County, including the southern tier of counties in Northeast Ohio, as one of the most productive agricultural areas in the state. The diverse landscapes and prevalence of horse-drawn farm operations create a variety of agricultural products that could feed urban markets. He notes that every time a new barn gets built, the agricultural mystique of the area is preserved, benefiting both tourism and the agricultural economy. How can we connect stronger local food markets in cities like Cleveland with robust farm economies in rural counties like Wayne County?
During a visit with the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Food Policy Coalition in 2008, author and life-stime community food activist Mark Winne posits that Cleveland and Ohio are in a position to create a model for regional food self-reliance that can serve as a model for the nation. To get there, Winne describes the need to get a strong and diverse mix of farms and markets to make it happen. He recognizes the importance of, but also the limitations of farmers markets and Community Supported Agriculture programs alone in creating regional food self-reliance. He suggests that a strong mix of small, medium-sized farms that can serve a variety of markets. Ultimately, the environmental sustainability of farms and the overall food system will be central to the longevity of our food systems.
Darren Doherty, an international permaculture expert from Australia, takes a few minutes during a permaculture design certification training in Oberlin, to share some perspectives on local food systems in Northeast Ohio. He describes how Northeast Ohio has among the strongest natural assets in the world to support a regenerative local agricultural system. He describes how the key opportunity for creating a more regenerative food system in Northeast Ohio lies in creating economic connections between farms and the small towns and cities in the region.