Transcript New North Florida Cooperative

Cooperatives in Local Food Systems
Elisabeth Howard
November 20, 2003
UW Center for Cooperatives Brown Bag Series
Cooperatives in Local Food Systems
1. Local Food Systems
2. One Area of Research: Institutions
3. My Masters Thesis Topic
Local Food Systems
The biophysical and
socioeconomic processes and
relationships involved in the
production, processing,
distribution, marketing,
consumption and disposal of food.
“Where are we then?…”
“…We are embedded in a global food system
structured around a market economy which is
geared to the proliferation of commodities and
the destruction of the local…”
“…We are faced with transnational agribusiness
whose desire to extend and consolidate their global
reach implies the homogenization of our food, our
communities, and our landscapes…”
“…We live in a world in which we are ever
more distant from each other and from the
land, and so we are increasingly less
responsible to each other and to the land…”
“…Where do we go from here?…”
“…How can we come home again?”
(Kloppenberg, Stevenson, Hendrickson, 1996)
“In addition to yield potential,
economic feasibility depends on
the availability of outlets for the
produce, the market price, and
the cost of production.”
(Colette & Wall, 1978)
Farmers Markets
Community
Supported
Agriculture
(CSA)
On-Farm Markets
Grocery Stores
Restaurants
"We strive to work
with ingredients that
are cultivated in
accordance with their
natural cycles, and
are grown in their
native and adapted
soils."
“Our inspiration is drawn
from French and American
cuisines, spotlighting
locally grown, organic
ingredients.”
Food Service
One area of research:
How do farmers sell to local institutions?
(grocery stores, restaurants, food service)
Between Farm and Institution
Essential Intermediate Functions
• Cultivate relationships
• Brokerage
• Processing
Who does this?
• Distribution
1. Non-Profits
2. For-Profits
3. Government Agencies
4. Cooperatives
Red Tomato
• 1998, Canton, MA
• Act as broker/distributor
• Sell to grocery stores
• Goal: To “reinvent local food systems”
Project Farm Fresh Start
• 1994, Hartford, CT
• Farms sell to school district food service
• Local wholesaler coordinates purchasing
Iowa Farm
Bureau Dining
Facility
•West Des
Moines, IA
•Loffredo
Fresh Produce
Company
DOD Fresh Produce Program
(North Carolina, Kentucky, New Jersey, others)
Farm-to-School
• Coordination between state Departments of
Agriculture and US Department of Defense
• Use existing market expertise, quality
assurance, and procurement and distribution
systems
•1997, one school district
•Wash, chop, bag, weigh, deliver
•2001, 15 school districts, 3 states
• Postville, IA, 11 members
• Sell to group shelters,
hospitals, nursing homes,
health care facilities, school
district, college, restaurants
• Online ordering
• Wash, process, deliver
• South-central WI, 23 farms
• Sell to high-end restaurants in
Madison, Milwaukee, Sheboygan
and Chicago area
• UW food service
• Madison Metropolitan School District
Food Service
•Collaboration between UW, MMSD
food service, local farmers, parents,
teachers, community members
•Pilot project in three Madison schools
in fall of 2003
•Local ingredients from Home Grown
Wisconsin in new menu options
•Special event meals
Thesis Topic
Compare Local Produce Marketing Options
• Farmers Markets
• On-Farm Markets
• CSA
• Institutions (restaurants, food
service, grocery stores)
Based On:
•Access
•Expected Returns
•Price Risk
ACCESS
EXPECTED
RETURNS
PRICE
RISK
Methods
• Personal interviews with farmers in southcentral Wisconsin
- Two different samples
- Criteria
Qualitative questions (access,
methods,objectives, obstacles,
reasons)
Quantitative questions (prices & costs)
using five crops: carrots, tomatoes,
potatoes, strawberries, salad mix
Simulate Model of Typical Farm
- Use price and cost information
- Look at dynamic effects of changing
certain variables (market access, risk
aversion, etc.)
Expected Results
• Access to local markets will be an issue
• Farms use strategic mix of marketing options
Considerations:
• What is “local”?
• Geography
Who will find this useful?
•Farmers
- Help in sorting out decisions about
production and marketing
•Those who promote local food systems
- Are there inefficiencies or
infrastructure needs that could
be addressed
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