Is Demand for Locally Produced Food Changing Agriculture?
Posted on | June 10, 2009 | 1 Comment
There’s no denying the impact of the 100 Mile Diet, an influential movement encouraging the consumption of local foods (i.e. within 100 miles), as more and more consumers demand that their food be produced closer to home.
According to national statistics though, the average farm size in North America is growing. Yet the number of small farms is also increasing. How can this be?
Well, in both the US and Canada, new farmers are influencing this trend by establishing smaller farm operations focused on direct and specialty markets, organics, and locally grown items. And there’s no doubt this trend is also changing long-standing consumer relationships with food.
But are these operations changing agriculture?
It’s worth noting that while there exist regional trends supporting locally-grown initiatives and urban agriculture, it is still the big, rural systems that actually produce most of the food we eat. And large farms are thriving.
Large farms – defined as those with annual revenues over $500,000 – now account for the majority of agricultural production in Canada and the US. These farms invest more in their business, are growing in numbers, and tend to be controlled predominantly by farming families. There is little doubt that large farms continue to be the future of most commercial farming endeavours.
While smaller farms might dominate in numbers, large farms carry the economic clout in both revenue and profits.
Large farms are a major economic force.
So … where should resources be channelled – emerging markets or established ones? Is it an either/or decision? How does policy balance the interests of smaller farms as well as larger ones? What needs to change?
Note: This post also appears at FarmOn.com … feel free to leave a comment or join the discussion at either place!
Sources: Statistics Canada, US Department of Agriculture
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June 11th, 2009 @ 10:27 am
[...] trends and awareness of local food movements increase, it’s no surprise to see heightened [...]