Building local food

This solution was shared by Building Local Food , 15 August 2021

Print date: 05 December 2024 22:37

Description of the innovative solution

Circular economy Community building Closing nutrient loop Food biodiversity Advertising restriction Food environment - external Food environment - personal Consumer choice Behavior change Fats - sugars - salts Healthy diet Local garden Urban planning Infrastructure Capacity building Double-duty action Tuft's Innovation Lab

Our food environment can be defined as the physical features of our neighborhood and how they interact with our personal circumstances. Local food environments would introduce a system that delivers the widest possible variety of fresh food that is available, accessible, and affordable. Nutritious food sold in local markets, shops, and restaurants every day would influence better food choices and allow individuals to decide, within their local environment, what to eat. In more pointed terms, advertising and supply of factory foods are limited by various local fresh foods.

Primary users

Urban consumers
Rural consumers
Urban farmers
Livestock farmers
Small & medium commercial farmers
Food processors
Urban communities
Rural communities
Local populations

Dietary impact

A wide variety of fresh local foods creates 'healthy food zones'. As fresh produce is made available year-round, consumers have the convenience to choose nutritious food near their home. Empowering individuals to walk to the neighborhood market, purchase local affordable produce would alter bad eating habits around food that is available, but not nutritious and increase preventative health behaviors.

Planetary impact

As food is produced, harvested, handled, packaged and sold in as local a system as possible, emissions from long distance transportation are eliminated and food waste is lowered due to a improved post-harvest handling and faster farm-to-table cycles (and recycling) back to farmers.

Equity impact

Mapping food environments across neighbourhoods can help local policymakers identify food swamps and food deserts, then devise strategies to address weaknesses and taking advantage of opportunities to increase equity at the local level. By creating sizable nearby markets for local crop, fish and livestock farmers, local incomes are improved by creating local business ownership and better local jobs.

Main concerns

The primary challenge is to demonstrate how the proposed system works. This involves cooperation among potential stakeholders, private and public, to refine the idea and commit to demonstrating it. Multiple types of business opportunities exist within the system, but they are interdependent, and no one constitutes a startup opportunity without all the others. Cooperation would involve many and varied participants, but stakeholder roles are readily identifiable and participants would be motivated by commercial advantages attached to being members of an early development team. There is no chance of eating healthy food if advertisements highlight food sources that are high in sugar and fat, and in unhealthy portions. Policies around limiting unhealthy advertisements may take a long time and due to lobbying, may not follow through.

Supply chain segment

Consumers

Maturity level

Gaining traction

Criteria

Food quality Food safety Food availability Food affordability Food desirability Climate mitigation Reducing biodiversity loss Reducing pollution

SDG target

SDG 2: Zero Hunger SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being SDG 4: Quality Education SDG 5: Gender Equality SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure SDG 10: Reduced Inequality SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions SDG 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal

Context

Urban Rural

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