[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
concept of a "foodshed" (fwd)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 1 Apr 1995 10:43:15 -0500
From: Jennifer L. Wilkins <jlw15@cornell.edu>
To: tjakin@pssci.umass.edu
Cc: sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu, sustag@beta.tricity.wsu.edu
Subject: concept of a "foodshed"
>Fred Kirschenmann, an organic grain farmer from North Dakota, spoke
>this past week at a Northeast Region SARE Ch. 3-sponsored
>conference on sustainable agriculture. He touched on the subject
>of local agriculture, local food security and the concept of a
>"foodshed" (conceptual equivalent of a watershed). Could someone
>point out further reading on the "foodshed" concept?
>
The first place I heard about the concept of a Foodshed was in 1993 at the
Association for the Study of Food in Society/ Agriculture and Human Values
conference at The Penn State University in the following presentation:
Hendrickson, J. A. 1993. The foodshed: Heuristic device and sustainable
alternative the food system. Paper presented at the "Environment, Culture,
and Food Equity", organized jointly by the Agriculture, Food and Human
Values Society, the Association for the Study of Food in Society, and The
Penn State University, College of Agricultural Sciences, June 3-6, State
College, PA.
But Hendrickson credited Hedden with coining the term in the early 1990s!
Hedden, W. P. 1929. How Great Cities Are Fed. Boston: D. C. Heath and Co.
I would also recommend Hamm's work since he addresses the ever-important,
but all too aften ignored issue of carrying capacity (for humans!) -
Hamm, M. W. The potential for a localized food supply in New Jersey. Paper
presented at the "Environment, Culture, and Food Equity", organized jointly
by the Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society, the Association for the
Study of Food in Society, and The Penn State University, College of
Agricultural Sciences, June 3-6, State College, PA.
>I would appreciate examples of projects that have increased
>consumer awareness of the importance and benefits of local/regional
>food production?
I am in the process of developing a food guide for the Northeast which will
have a series of fact sheets about the benefits of eating locally and how
to achieve a more local diet in an area with significant seasonal
variation. This guide, poster, plus supplementary materials will be
available by the end of September.
Much of the information provided is supported by data we gathered through a
survey of Northeastern consumers as to their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs
and practices with respect to local foods - awareness and use of winter
vegetables, perceived attributes of locally-grown foods, comparison with
imported foods, connection between purchases and local agriculture,
barriers to eating locally, etc, etc, etc. Results are being prepared for
publication.
What's the best way for the getting the message
>out?
Good question - we're working on that, too!
Jennifer L. Wilkins, Ph.D., R.D.
Senior Extension Associate
jlw15@Cornell.edu
Ishmael knows.