Hostname: page-component-7dd5485656-2pp2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-30T12:12:45.447Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A geographic approach to place and natural resource use in local food systems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2010

Leslie Duram  and
Lydia Oberholtzer
Leslie Duram*
Affiliation:
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA.
Lydia Oberholtzer
Affiliation:
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: duram@siu.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article illuminates the geographic concept of ‘place’ in local foods. Because the social aspects of local food have been more fully addressed in previous literature, this review focuses instead on the ecological aspects of farming and food. First, the literature on natural resource use in agriculture provides contextual understanding of water use, biodiversity, soils and agro-ecological methods. The complex relationship between climate change and agriculture is described and models assessing the impacts of climate change on agriculture are detailed. The geography of local food is specifically addressed by describing methods for assessing natural resource use in local food, including food miles, consumer transportation, scale and community, agricultural methods and diet. Finally, future research paths are suggested to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the environmental impact of local food. Such research would encompass the geography of local food through development of broader, more inclusive strategy, including the concept of the ‘ecological appetite’ of crops and foods, the union of both social and ecological aspects of resource use, the linkages between rural and urban producers and consumers and the inclusion of farmers’ ecological knowledge. Overall, the geography of local food seeks to assess the where of food production and consumption, while incorporating key issues of how (agro-ecological methods benefiting the community) and what (locally appropriate crops).

Keywords

local food systemsnatural resource usegeographyfood milesenergy use

Information

Type
Review Article
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 25 , Special Issue 2: “Sustainable Agriculture Systems in a Resource Limited Future” , June 2010 , pp. 99 - 108
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

1Reuters. 2009. American Medical Association Passes Resolution Supporting Sustainable Food System. US Newswire, Wednesday, June 17, 5:59 PM EDT.Google Scholar
2Diamond, A. and Soto, R. 2009. Facts on Direct-to-Consumer Food Marketing: Incorporating Data from the 2007 Census of Agriculture. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service, Washington, DC.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3Darby, K., Batte, M.T., Ernst, S., and Roe, B. 2008. Decomposing local: a conjoint analysis. American Agricultural Economics Association 90:476–486.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4Hendrickson, J. 1996. Energy use in the U.S. food system: a summary of existing research and analysis. Center for Integrated Agriculture Systems, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Available at Web site http://www.cias.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/energyuse.pdf (accessed 16 March 2010).Google Scholar
5Allen, P. and Hinrichs, C. 2007. Buying into ‘Buy local’: engagement of United States local food initiatives. In Maye, D., Holloway, L., and Kneafsey, M. (eds). Alternative Food Geographies: Representation and Practice. Elsevier, Oxford, UK. p. 255–272.Google Scholar
6Peters, C.J., Bills, N.L., Wilkins, J.L., and Fick, G.W. 2008. Foodshed analysis and its relevance to sustainability. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 24:1–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7Duram, L. 2010. Geography. In World Book Encyclopedia. World Book Inc., Chicago IL. Availabe at Web site www.worldbook.com (accessed 23 July 2009).Google Scholar
8Allen, P. 2008. Mining for justice in the food system: perceptions, practices and possibilities. Journal of Agriculture and Human Values 25:157–161.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9DuPuis, M.E. and Goodman, D. 2005. Should we go home to eat?: toward a reflexive politics of localism. Journal of Rural Studies 21:359–371.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10Anderson, M.D. 2008. Rights-based food systems and the goals of food systems reform. Journal of Agriculture and Human Value 25:593–698.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11Hassanein, N. 2003. Practicing food democracy: a pragmatic politics of transformation. Journal of Rural Studies 19:77–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12Feenstra, G. 1997. Local food systems and sustainable communities. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 12(1):28–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13Hinrichs, C.C. 2002. The practice and politics of food system localization. Journal of Rural Studies 19(1):33–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14Kloppenburg, J., Hendrickson, J., and Stevenson, G.W. 1996. Coming into the foodshed. Agriculture and Human Values 13(3):33–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15Murdoch, J., Marsden, T., and Banks, J. 2000. Quality, nature, and embeddedness: Some theoretical considerations in the context of the food sector. Economic Geography 76(2):107–125.Google Scholar
16Winter, M. 2003. Embeddedness, the new food economy and defensive localism. Journal of Rural Studies 19(1):23–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17Clancy, K. 1997. Reconnecting farmers and citizens in the food system. In Lockeretz, W. (ed.). Visions of American Agriculture. Iowa State University, Ames, IA.Google Scholar
18Lyson, T.A. 2000. Moving toward civic agriculture. Choices: The Magazine of Food, Farm and Resource Issues 3:42–45.Google Scholar
19Delind, L. 2002. Place, work and civic agriculture: common fields for cultivation. Agriculture and Human Values 19:217–224.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20Duram, L.A. 2005. Good Growing: Why Organic Farming Works. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE.Google Scholar
21Follett, J.R. 2009. Choosing a food future: differentiating among alternative food options. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 22:31–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
22Selfa, T. and Qazi, J. 2005. Place, taste, or face to face? Understanding producer-consumer networks in ‘local’ food systems in Washington State. Agriculture and Human Values 22(4):451–464.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
23Marsden, T. and Smith, E. 2005. Ecological entrepreneurship: sustainable development in local communities through quality food production and local branding. Geoforum 36:440–451.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24Sage, C. 2003. Social embeddedness and relations of regard: alternative ‘Good Food’ networks in South-West Ireland. Journal of Rural Studies 19:47–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
25Lobb, A.E. and Mazzocchi, M. 2007. Domestically produced food: consumer perceptions of origin, safety and the issue of trust. Food Economics 4:3–12.Google Scholar
26Fonte, M. 2008. Knowledge, food and place. A way of producing, a way of knowing . Sociologia Ruralis 3rd Series 48:200–222.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
27Morris, C. and Buller, H. 2003. The local food sector: a preliminary assessment of its impact in Gloucestershire. British Food Journal 105(8):559–566.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
28Smeding, F. and Joenje, W. 1999. Farm–nature plan: landscape ecology based farm planning. Landscape and Urban Planning 46:109–115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
29Boody, G., Vondracek, B., Andow, D.A., Krinke, M., Westra, J., Zimmerman, J., and Welle, P. 2005. Multifunctional agriculture in the United States. BioScience 55:27–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
30Mäder, P., Fließbach, A., Dubois, D., Gunst, L., Fried, P., and Niggli, U. 2002. Soil fertility and biodiversity in organic farming. Science 296:1694–1697.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
31Henderson, E. 2000. Rebuilding local food systems from the grass-roots up. In Magdoff, F., Foster, J., and Buttel, F. (eds). Hungry for Profit: The Agribusiness Threat to Farmers, Food and the Environment. Monthly Review Press, New York. p. 175–188.Google Scholar
32Horrigan, L., Lawrence, R.S., and Walker, P. 2002. How sustainable agriculture can address the environmental and human health harms of industrial agriculture. Environmental Health Perspectives 110(5):445–456.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
33Smithers, J., Lamarche, J., and Joseph, A.E. 2008. Unpacking the terms of engagement with local food at the farmers' market: Insights from Ontario. Journal of Rural Studies 24(3):337–350.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
34Pirog, R. 2004. Food miles and consumer perceptions of locally grown foods. In Society for Nutrition Education Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, 17–21 July 2004.Google Scholar
35The Hartman Group. 2008. Consumer Understanding of Buying Local. Bellevue, WA.Google Scholar
36Wilson, E.O. 1992. The Diversity of Life. W.W. Norton, New York.Google Scholar
37Bengtsson, J., Ahnstrom, J., and Weibull, A. 2005. The effects of organic agriculture on biodiversity and abundance: a meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Ecology 42:261–269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
38Brush, S.B. 1989. Rethinking crop genetic resource conservation. Conservation Biology 3:1–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
39Goland, C. and Bauer, S. 2004. When the apple falls close to the tree: Local food systems and the preservation of diversity. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 19:228–236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
40Allan, J.A. 1998. Virtual water: a strategic resource global solutions to regional deficits. Ground Water 36(4):545–546.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
41Chapagain, A.K. and Hoekstra, A.Y. 2004. Water Footprints of Nations. Value of Water Research Report Series of UNESCO-IHE, No. 16. Delft, Netherlands.Google Scholar
42US Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. 2004. Briefing rooms: irrigation and water use. US Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Washington, DC. Available at Web site http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/WaterUse/ (accessed 16 March 2010).Google Scholar
43Pimentel, D., Berger, B., Filiberto, D., Newton, M., Wolfe, B., Karabinakis, B., Clark, S., Poon, E., Albert, E., and Nandagopal, S. 2004. Water resources: agricultural and environmental issues. BioScience 54:10909–10918.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
44Shoemaker, R., McGranahan, D., and McBride, B. 2006. Agriculture and rural communities are resilient to high energy costs: rising energy prices may prompt farmers and rural residents to make tradeoffs in their production practices and daily lives. Amber Waves 4(2):18–21.Google Scholar
45Hellegers, P., Ziberman, D., Seduto, P., and McCornick, P. 2008. Interaction between water, energy, food, and environment: evolving perspectives and policy issues. Water Policy 10(1):1–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
46Playan, E. and Mateos, L. 2006. Modernization and optimization of irrigation systems to increase water productivity. Agricultural Water Management 80:100–116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
47Urban, M.A. 2005. Values and ethical beliefs regarding agricultural drainage in Central Illinois, USA. Society and Natural Resources 18:173–189.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
48US Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2009. Alternative crops. Available at Web site http://plants.usda.gov/alt_crops.html (assessed 20 July 2009).Google Scholar
49Gliessman, S.R. 2006. Agroecology: The Ecology of Sustainable Food Systems. 2nd ed.CRC, Boca Rotan, FL.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
50Diver, S. 2000. Organic Greenhouse Vegetable Production: Horticulture Systems Guide. ATTRA Publication No. IP078. Available at Web site http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/ghveg.pdf (accessed 16 March 2010).Google Scholar
51Solomon, S., Qin, D., Manning, M., Chen, Z., Marquis, M., Averyt, K.B., Tignor, M., and Miller, H.L. (eds).2007. Climate Change 2007. The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, New York.Google Scholar
52Pew Center on Global Climate Change. 2009. Agriculture overview. Available at Web site http://www.pewclimate.org/technology/overview/agriculture (accessed 16 March 2010).Google Scholar
53US Department of Agriculture, Office of the Chief Economist and Economic Research Service. 2009. A Preliminary Analysis of the Effects of HR 2454 on U.S. Agriculture. US Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
54US Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. 2009. Global Climate Change: Background. Available at Web site http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/GlobalClimate/Background.htm (accessed 16 March 2010).Google Scholar
55Puckett, L.J. 2008. Nonpoint and Point Sources of Nitrogen in Major Watersheds of the United States. US Geological Survey. Water-Resources Investigations Report 94–4001. Available at Web site http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/wri944001/wri944001.html (accessed 16 March 2010).Google Scholar
56US Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. 2008. U.S. Fertilizer Use and Price. Data set. Available at Web site http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/FertilizerUse/ (accessed 16 March 2010).Google Scholar
57Schoof, J.T. and Therrell, M. 2009. Climate change. In Duram, L. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Organic, Sustainable, and Local Food. Praeger/ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, CA/Oxford, England. p. 82–84.Google Scholar
58Robertson, G.P., Paul, E.A., and Harwood, R.A. 2000. Greenhouse gases in intensive agriculture: contributions of individual gases to the radiative forcing of the atmosphere. Science 289:1922–1925.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
59Weber, C.L. and Matthews, S.H. 2008. Food-miles and the relative climate impacts of food choices in the United States. Environmental Science and Technology 42(10):3508–3513.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
60Battisti, D.S. and Naylor, R. 2009. Historical warnings of future food insecurity with unprecedented seasonal heat. Science 323:240–244.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
61US Climate Change Science Program. 2008. The Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture, Land Resources, Water Resources, and Biodiversity in the United States. US Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
62Marris, E. 2004. Climate modellers go local to target California's politicians. Nature 430(7002):818.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
63Hayhoea, K., Cayanc, D., Fieldd, C.B., Frumhoffe, P.C., Maurerf, E.P., Millerg, N.L., Moserh, S.C., Schneideri, S.H., Cahilld, K.N., Clelandd, E.E., Daleg, L., Drapekj, R., Hanemannk, R.M., Kalksteinl, L.S., Lenihanj, J., Lunchd, C.K., Neilsonj, R.P., Sheridanm, S.C., and Vervillee, J.H. 2004. Emissions pathways, climate change, and impacts on California. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 101(34):12422–12427.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
64Schoof, J.T. 2009. Historical and projected changes in the length of the frost-free season. In Pryor, S.C. (ed.). Understanding Climate Change: Climate Variability, Predictability, and Change in the Midwestern United States. Indiana University Press, Bloomington, IN. p. 42–54.Google Scholar
65Coley, D., Howard, M., and Winters, M. 2009. Local food, food miles and carbon emissions: a comparison of farm shop and mass distribution approaches. Food Policy 34:150–155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
66Edwards-Jones, G., Milà i Canals, L., Hounsome, N., Truninger, M., Koerber, G., Hounsome, B., Cross, P., York, E.H., Hospido, A., Plassmann, K., Harris, I.M., Edwards, R.T., Day, G.A.S., Deri Tomos, A., Cowell, S.J., and Jones, D.L. 2008. Testing the assertion that ‘local food is best’: the challenges of an evidence-based approach. Trends in Food Science and Technology 19:265–274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
67Jones, A. 2002. An environmental assessment of food supply chains: a case study on dessert apples. Environmental Assessment 30:560–576.Google ScholarPubMed
68Pirog, R. and Benjamin, A. 2003. Checking the Food Odometer: Comparing Food Miles for Local Versus Conventional Produce Sales to Iowa Institutions. Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Ames, IA.Google Scholar
69Pimentel, D., Williamson, S., Alexander, C.E., Gonzalez-Pagan, O., Kontak, C., and Mulkey, S.E. 2008. Reducing energy inputs in the US food system. Human Ecology 36:459–471.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
70Sirieix, L., Grolleau, G., and Schaer, B. 2008. Do consumers care about food miles? An empirical analysis in France. International Journal of Consumer Studies 32:508–515.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
71Blanke, M.M. and Burdick, B. 2005. Food (miles) for thought: energy balance for locally-grown versus imported apple fruit. Environmental Science and Pollution Resource 12:125–127.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
72Hospido, A., Canals, L., MacLaren, S., Truninger, M., Edwards-Jones, G., and Clift, R. 2009. The role of seasonality in lettuce consumption: a case study of environmental and social aspects. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 14:381–391.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
73Saunders, C., Barber, A. and Taylor, G. 2006. Food Miles: Comparative Energy/Emissions Performance of New Zealand's Agriculture Industry. Report 285. Agribusiness and Economics Research Unit. Lincoln University, New Zealand. Available at Web site http:www.lincoln.ac.nz/story9430.html (accessed 24 July 2009).Google Scholar
74Wilson, T. 2007. The ‘Food Miles’ Fallacy. Institute of Public Affairs, Australia. Available at Web site http://www.ipa.org.au (accessed 23 July 2009).Google Scholar
75Foster, C., Green, K., Bleda, M., Dewick, P., Evans, B., Flynn, A., and Mylan, J. 2006. Environmental Impacts of Food Production and Consumption: a Report to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Manchester Business School, DEFRA, London.Google Scholar
76Pretty, J.N., Ball, A.S., Lang, T., and Morison, J.I.L. 2005. Farm costs and food miles: an assessment of the full cost of the UK weekly food basket. Food Policy 30:1–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
77Schlich, E.H. and Fleissner, U. 2005. The ecology of scale: assessment of regional energy turnover and comparison with global food. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 10(3):219–223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
78Jungbluth, N. and Demmeler, M. 2005. Letters to the Editor. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 10(3):168–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
79LaTrobe, H.L. and Acott, T.G. 2000. Localising the global food system. International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology 7:309–320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
80Jarosz, L. 2008. The city in the country: growing alternative food networks in metropolitan areas. Journal of Rural Studies 24:231–244.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
81DeLind, L.B. and Bingen, J. 2008. Place and civic culture: re-thinking the context for local agriculture. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 21:127–151.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
82Reganold, J.P., Glover, J.D., Andrews, P.K., and Hinman, H.R. 2001. Sustainability of three apple production systems. Nature 410:929–930.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
83Hill, H. 2009. Comparing Energy Use in Conventional and Organic Cropping Systems. ATTRA. National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. Available at Web site http://www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/croppingsystems.pdf (accessed 9 October 2009).Google Scholar
84Flegal, K.M., Carroll, M.D., Ogden, C.L., and Johnson, C.L. 2002. Prevalence and trends in obesity among U.S. adults, 1999–2000. Journal of the American Medical Association 288(14):1723–1727.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
85Carlsson-Kanyama, A., Ekstrom, M.P., and Shanahan, H. 2003. Food and life cycle energy inputs: consequences of diet and ways to increase efficiency. Ecological Economics 44:293–307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
86Pimentel, D. and Pimentel, M. 1996. Food, Energy and Society. Colorado University Press, Niwot, CO.Google Scholar
87Reijnders, L. and Soret, S. 2003. Quantification of the environmental impact of different dietary protein choices. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 78(3):664S–668S.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
88Pimentel, D. 2006. Impacts of Organic Farming on the Efficiency of Energy Use in Agriculture: State of Science Report. Organic Center, Bolder, CO.Google Scholar
89Steinfeld, H., Gerber, P., Wassenaar, T., Castel, V., Rosales, M., and de Haan, C. 2006. Livestock's Long Showdown: Environmental Issues and Options. United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation, Rome, Italy. Available at Web site ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a0701e/A0701E00.pdf (accessed 8 February 2010).Google Scholar
90Peters, C.J., Bills, N.L., Lembo, A.J., Wilkins, J.L., and Fick, G.W. 2008. Mapping potential foodsheds in New York State: a spatial model for evaluating the capacity to localize food production. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 24:72–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
91Timmons, D., Wang, Q., and Lass, D. 2008. Local foods: estimating capacity. Journal of Extension 46:1–11.Google Scholar
92Howden, S.M., Soussana, J.F., Tubiello, F.N., Chhetri, N., Dunlop, M., and Meinke, H. 2007. Adapting agriculture to climate change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 104:19691–19696.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
93Francis, C.A., Lieblein, G., Breland, T.A., and Salomonsson, L. 2008. Transdisciplinary research for a sustainable agriculture and food sector. Agronomy Journal 100:771–776.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
94King, C.A. 2008. Community resilience and contemporary agri-ecological systems: reconnecting people and food, and people with people. System Research and Behavioral Science 25:111–124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
95Duram, L.A. 2009. The Encyclopedia of Organic, Sustainable, and Local Food. Praeger/ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, CA/Oxford, England.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
96Mayer, H. and Knox, P.L. 2006. Slow cities: sustainable places in a fast world. Journal of Urban Affairs 4th Series 28:321–334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar