Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
shopper and local stall holder, an interaction that has been lost in the anonymity
of big supermarkets. In the U.S.A. some states have set up schemes to boost the
amount of local food consumed to stimulate agricultural production around cities,
such as North Carolina's policy of encouraging firms and individuals to source at
least ten per cent of their food supply from within the state (NC
2012
). Although
the sales of food from these approaches is still dwarfed by those from regular retail
outlets in the western world, these developments add to the vibrancy of local retail-
ing. This not only means that part—although still a small part—of the long-distance
trade in food products to major supermarkets is reduced, but adds to the prosperity
of local farming and hence open space in the urban hinterland. This trend has led
some supermarkets to source, and to publicize the use of more food from their re-
gion, rather than typically ignoring local products, although it is still a fraction of
their total supplies. Unfortunately the power of supermarkets to drastically drive
down prices for local farm producers to almost the cost of production has become
a problem for many small, local suppliers, unless they operate in a co-operative
structure and can bargain effectively.
Of course, local markets did not disappear from all urban areas as mobility in-
creased in the twentieth century. Some countries, especially France and Italy, main-
tained many of their historic markets, even in small towns. These markets developed
in times of low mobility when most towns had to depend on local products for most
of their food supply. Their survival and revival is itself a testament to the emphasis
placed on local, healthy food products in these countries, as well as the presence
of local food specialities and cuisines based on the distinctive crops from the local
region, which has become a vital part of the Slow Town movement (Chap. 15). This
type of distinctive food, based on the particular combination of the physical condi-
tions and cultural heritage which create distinctive
terroirs
, is being encouraged
by agricultural and economic planners in many countries, since it produces higher
value goods and encourages gastronomic tourism to local restaurants. However,
as researchers such as McWilliams (
2009
) have noted, one must not assume that
local sustainability is necessarily increased by this focus on locally sourced food,
especially by those locavores who have advocated a 100 mile limit for food supply.
Many crops cannot be grown locally and taking only 'miles from the production to
sales site' as a measure of sustainability ignores the many inputs—in energy and
fertilizer especially—needed to produce crops, issues that are discussed further in
Chap. 7 (Transition Towns). This often means the carbon footprint may be actually
higher for the local crops, especially in areas with long winters, where higher fossil
energy inputs may be needed to counteract short growing seasons.
All of the above practices are becoming more important and are providing useful
increases in the amount of productive green space in urban areas or in their vicin-
ity, as well as adding to the degree of food sustainability in many regions. Yet the
trends must not be exaggerated. These developments in western cities especially
are far from fulfilling all the food needs of urban residents. Moreover, given the
higher cost of the local and organic products it is only the ecologically committed
or wealthy people in most western cities who participate in the trends, although
these are a small and growing minority. It is always difficult to predict the future,
