From sustag@beta.tricity.wsu.eduFri Mar 31 21:29:44 1995 Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 12:40:32 -0800 (PST) From: "Tom Hodges (moderated newsgroup)" To: Principles of Sustainable Agriculture Subject: local food securtiy & the concept of a "foodshed" (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 15:11:25 -0500 From: tjakin@pssci.umass.edu To: sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu Cc: sustag@beta.tricity.wsu.edu Subject: local food securtiy & the 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? I would appreciate examples of projects that have increased consumer awareness of the importance and benefits of local/regional food production? What's the best way for the getting the message out? Thanks in advance, Tom Akin Thomas Akin Extension Specialist Plant & Soil Science Dept. Bowditch Hal Box 30910 University of Massachusetts TEL: (413) 545-5236 Amherst, MA 01003-0910 FAX: (413) 545-0260 From cjarden@ucdavis.eduFri Mar 31 21:41:58 1995 Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 15:26:15 -0800 (PST) From: Colehour Arden To: tjakin@pssci.umass.edu Cc: sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu, sustag@beta.tricity.wsu.edu Subject: Re: local food securtiy & the concept of a "foodshed" On Fri, 31 Mar 1995 tjakin@pssci.umass.edu wrote: > 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? Tom, Arthur Getz wrote a short article on this topic in the Oct, 1991 Permaculture Activist #24 (pages 26-7). It might be of interest to subscribe to the new group on direct marketing also: > To subscribe to direct-mkt, send the following message to > majordomo@reeusda.gov: > > subscribe direct-mkt Good luck, Colehour Arden +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + COLEHOUR JORDAN ARDEN + + International Agricultural Development & + + Master of Education Graduate Groups + + University of California at Davis + + POST: P.O. Box 73392, Davis, CA 95617 + + PHONE: 916/759-0497 + + EMAIL: cjarden@ucdavis.edu + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ From sustag@beta.tricity.wsu.eduSat Apr 1 11:38:07 1995 Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 21:55:19 -0800 (PST) From: "Tom Hodges (moderated newsgroup)" To: Principles of Sustainable Agriculture Subject: info leads: foodshed concept (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 18:20:40 GMT -0600 From: Michele Gale-Sinex/CIAS To: sustag@beta.tricity.wsu.edu Subject: info leads: foodshed concept Howdy, all-- This is a reply to Tom Akin on the foodshed concept query he passed along from Fred Kirschenmann and augmented with his own questions. We have a bunch of work going on here at UW-Madison and the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems on this topic. I'm writing to share a few highlights of that. 1. CIAS sponsors a monthly Regional Food Systems Seminar that has brought diverse folks together to explore topics like the economic impacts of changing diets to meet USDA food guidelines, the feasibility and impact of regionally reliant food systems, various alternative and value added marketing projects taking place in the upper Midwest, and more. We are still in an exploratory mode (meaning we not only have more questions than answers, we're still formulating the questions), but some interesting perspectives have emerged from this seminar. John Hendrickson is the coordinator of this seminar. You can reach him via e-mail as jhendrik@macc.wisc.edu He is the keeper of much of the Center's information traffic on this topic and can also refer you to UW-Madison researchers and contact folks and Madison-area and Wisconsin/Upper Midwest collaborators on this work. Steve Stevenson, CIAS assistant director, is also deeply involved in foodshed activities. He is at: stevenson@ae.agecon.wisc.edu 2. A few suggestions on readings. Prof. Jack Kloppenburg (UW-Mad Dept. of Rural Sociology) and John have authored a paper called "Coming Into the Foodshed" which lays out a framework for foodshed issues. John can give you more details; I don't know whether it's available in other than draft form at this point, but John can tell you, or you can dink Jack at kloppenb@ssc.wisc.edu Jack has a number of graduate and undergraduate students involved in foodshed research, as well, and has taught seminars on the topic. 3. Community Supported Agriculture, community gardening/urban sustainable agriculture, farmer's markets, alternative value-added/direct marketing, and development of seasonal/regional restaurant menus are several of the areas that the Center has had a strong interest in and/or supported research and other activities on. I can offer further leads if you have specific questions. 4. Here are suggestions for readings that we've found useful in thinking about regional and seasonal food systems issues. I'm knocking this out quickly on a Friday evening, so it isn't perfectly edited format-wise. Kate Clancy. The role of sustainable agriculture in improving the safety and quality of the food supply. /Am J of Alt Ag/ 1:1, 11-18 (1986) Kenneth Dahlberg. Regenerative food systems: broadening the scope and agenda of sustainability. In Patricia Allen, ed., /Food for the Future./ NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1993, pp. 75-102 Harriet Friedmann. After Midas' feast: alternative food regimes for the future. In Patricia Allen, ed., /Food for the Future./ NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1993, pp. 213-233. Arthur Getz. Urban foodsheds. /Permaculture Activist/ VII:3:26-27, 1991 Joan Dye Gussow and Kate Clancy. Dietary guidelines for sustainability. /J. of Nutrition Education. 18:1-5, 1986 Marcia Herrin and Joan Dye Gussow. Designing a Sustainable Regional Diet. /Journal of Nutritional Education/ 21: 270-275, 1989 (good biblio) Interfaith Hunger Coalition. /Seeds of Change: Strategies for Food Security for the Inner City./ Los Angeles: Interfaith Hunger Coalition, 1993 Brewster Kneen. Distancing: the logic of the food system; Going shopping; and Industrial food. Chapters 3-5 in /From Land to Mouth: Understanding the Food System./ Toronto: NC Press Ltd. (Sorry I don't have the newer edition on hand to update this.) David Orr. Prices and the life exchanged: costs of the US food system. In /Understanding the True Cost of Food./ Washington, DC: Institute for Alternative Ag, 1991, pp. 1-13. Toronto Food Policy Council. /Developing a Food System which is Just and Environmentally Sustainable./ Toronto: TFPC, 1993 There is much much much more...but this'll give you a start. 5. Prof. Sally Leong, UW-Madison Professor of Plant Pathology, organized and continues to be a guiding spirit behind a foodshed working group here in Madland. She is at: sal@plantpath.wisc.edu This group engages researchers, food and hunger activists, people with interests in sustainable ag., farmers, and many others in a variety of foodshed-related issues. Hope this gets you started. We're finding it an incredibly rich and complex area of inquiry. Peace-- Michele <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Michele Gale-Sinex Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems Agricultural Technology and Family Farm Institute UW-Madison--Voice: (608) 262-8018 FAX: (608) 265-3020 Don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines. --Satchel Paige From sustag@beta.tricity.wsu.eduSat Apr 1 12:11:37 1995 Date: Sat, 1 Apr 1995 08:33:29 -0800 (PST) From: "Tom Hodges (moderated newsgroup)" To: Principles of Sustainable Agriculture Subject: concept of a "foodshed" (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sat, 1 Apr 1995 10:43:15 -0500 From: Jennifer L. Wilkins 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.