Would you know of literature, case studies or any resources for promoting consumer commitment to purchasing local agricultural products? Local food products require much less fuel for transportation (and produce less pollution) than imported food. I'm hoping this will be an effective use of CBSM.
Alain Godbout
Food Action Committee Ecology
Action Centre Halifax, Nova Scotia
Promoting Consumer Commitment to Local Food
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There is a really vibrant & expanding local food movement in the UK. See www.soilassociation.org search this site for local food links www.sustainweb.org search site www.farmersmarkets.net local food markets www.farma.org.uk same again www.sussexenterprise.co.uk/foodfinder/ Sussex specific - idea of how to set up an info page & booklet That should keep you going for a while...!
aa
I have been trying to get a post through for two days on this subject, and it keeps bouncing back. I will try again to reply. I recently read an article on this subject in my favorite online environmental magazine. I loved aa's links. These resources are from the Eastern U.S. Here is what I wrote on Wednesday.
For links to many useful websites on community supported agriculture (CSA), organic farming, and eating from your own "foodshed," see the National Agricultural Library's webpage on the subject: http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa/ Another useful website, for finding sources of locally grown food near you (in the US) is Local Harvest, http://www.localharvest.org/. The "Slow Food" movement is also in large part about eating regional food. This is an international movement that started in Italy and seems to have taken off in the US quite recently, at least in the Washginton, DC, area: http://www.slowfoodusa.org/ http://www.slowfood.com/ Permaculture Design, a movement started by Bill Mollison in Tasmania which has spread to many other countries, emphasizes either growing your own food or trading for it locally. An internet search for "permaculture" will yield plenty of websites.
Louisa Thompson
Columbia, MD, US
Bill Mollison was only one half of the team that started and developed the permaculture movement. David Holmgren was the other. Bill became the public face of permaculture though his promotional activities. However, David continues to work and publish in this and related areas.
Cheers
MOC
Check out the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts Communities Involved Sustaining Agriculture at www.buylocalfood.com
Catherine Marion Miller,
Principal Planner
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
413/781-6045
Wanted to resuscitate this old thread. Does anyone know of any more recent examples of sites, case studies, research which show effective strategies for modifying consumer behavior towards local food? In other words, my question is the same as the original question, but would have liked some newer more up to date info. I have followed many of the links originally provided in the replies, many of which were interesting but few of which provided empirical or practical evidence of effective programmes for changing consumer behavior.
Any ideas would be gratefully received.
Many thanks
Ian
Ian Fitzpatrick
Dr
United Kingdom
My experience of promoting local food is through the transition movement. Examples can be found in general through www.transitionnetwork.org and specifically in transition towns such as Bridport - (www.transitiontownbridport.co.uk)Bridport has a sub group concerned only about food and promotes using local resources as essential to transition, by limiting purchase of imported goods, supporting local farm shops and markets, and buying ethically sourced food in shops. This year we supported the food festival (www.bridportfood festival.org.uk) and took part in the Big Lunch movement.
sarahwilberforce
Hi, Thanks Sarah,
What i'm really after though is evidence of strategies which have been implemented which have actually changed consumer behaviour - where the change has been measured. Transition Town has been an important element in creating change, but how much change it has actually created is unknown.
ian
Ian Fitzpatrick
Dr
United Kingdom
I got a whole bunch of returns on a Google search for "community supported agriculture and changes in behavior". CSA is a type of local food movement that is doing very well here in North Carolina, USA. Here's a few - I don't know if they really get at your question since they're looking at an identified population of "subscribers":
http://www.geography.siu.edu/courses/429/IndusLocal/IndusLocalF.pdf
http://www.ag.auburn.edu/auxiliary/srsa/pages/Articles/SRS%202008%2023%201%2072-93.pdf
http://www.nh.gov/agric/divisions/agricultural_development/documents/UNHsurvey.pdf
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=1881400
http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/21692/1/sp99ko02.pdf
You could probably get similar results from a search with "farmers markets and changes in behavior".
Best wishes,
Trish
pdarconte
http://www.ceresfairfood.org.au
Have a look at the site above- Ceres Fair Food. It is a NGO service that delivers local seasonal organic food to communities straight from the farmers. It is a great service. I use it and it works really well to break down the barriers for people.
Rebecca Petit
Environmental Education Coordinator
Darebin City Council
Australia
You may be interested in work that is done through the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture in Iowa.You can find a variety of work done on the subject of finding markets for local agricultural products.You'll find this reported at: http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/research/grants/completed_grants.htm#Center_Progress_Report You may also find some useful information at the Center for Integrated Agriculture Studies in Wisconsin. Their work tends to be directed at educating farmers about marketing their products but you may find something helpful there too. http://www.cias.wisc.edu/
Janice Kepka
UW-Madison
Environmental Resources Center Farm and Home Environmental Management Programs
Room 303 Hiram Smith Hall
1545 Observatory Drive Madison, WI 53706
608/263-4695