Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Community Agriculture and Local Food Systems
Civic Agriculture
While the American food and agriculture system follows a decades-old path of industrializ-
ation and globalization, a counter trend toward localizing some agriculture and food produc-
tion has appeared. I call this rebirth of locally based agriculture and food production civic
agriculture, because these activities are tightly linked to a community's social and economic
development. The organizational manifestations of civic agriculture such as farmers' mar-
kets, community gardens, and community-supported agriculture are not monitored by most
federal or state agencies, so what we know about this new form of agriculture and food pro-
duction comes mainly from the civic agriculture community itself.
Civic agriculture does not currently represent an economic challenge to the conventional
agriculture and food industry, and it is unlikely to pose a challenge anytime soon. However,
it does include some innovative ways to produce, process, and distribute food. And it rep-
resents a sustainable alternative to the socially, economically, and environmentally destruct-
ive practices that have come to be associated with conventional agriculture. The term “civic
agriculture” references the emergence and growth of community-based agriculture and food
production activities that not only meet consumer demands for fresh, safe, and locally pro-
duced foods but create jobs, encourage entrepreneurship, and strengthen community identity.
Civic agriculture brings together production and consumption activities within communities
and offers consumers real alternatives to the commodities produced, processed, and marketed
by large agribusiness firms.
Farming and Food Today
America's agriculture and food have changed dramatically over the past several decades.
Smaller, family-labor farms have declined substantially in number as larger, increasingly
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