Local Food Systems: Concepts, Impacts, and Issues

This comprehensive overview of local food systems explores alternative definitions of local food, estimates market size and reach, describes the characteristics of local consumers and producers, and examines early indications of the economic and health impacts of local food systems. There is no consensus on a definition of “local” or “local food systems” in terms of the geographic distance between production and consumption. But defining “local” based on marketing arrangements, such as farmers selling directly to consumers at regional farmers’ markets or to schools, is well recognized. Statistics suggest that local food markets account for a small, but growing, share of U.S. agricultural production. For smaller farms, direct marketing to consumers accounts for a higher percentage of their sales than for larger farms. Findings are mixed on the impact of local food systems on local economic development and better nutrition levels among consumers, and sparse literature is so far inconclusive about whether localization reduces energy use or greenhouse gas emissions.local food systems, farmers’ markets, direct-to-consumer marketing, direct-to-retail/ foodservice marketing, community supported agriculture, farm to school programs, Farmers’ Market Promotion Program, food miles, Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Women, goal orientation, and success: A family business perspective

The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of family businesses’ strategic management practices and gender on goal orientation and financial success. In previous small business literature, women business owners and managers are often shown to underperform compared to their male counterparts. The present study sought to examine the female underperformance theory by attempting to explain success, mainly profitability and growth, through business goal formulation, management strategies, and business attributes. The management strategy of analyzing customer satisfaction is positively associated with the choice of adequate financing as a primary business goal, profitability, and growth. The amount of the business manager’s general work experience is positively associated with the choice of profit as a primary business goal, profitability, and growth. Although the female business managers in the study choose positive reputation with customers as a primary business goal more often male business managers, gender does not significantly influence the choice of primary business goal. The present study agreed with what previous literature illustrated, women business managers were responsible for family businesses that are less profitable than family businesses managed by men. These results are discussed in terms of how small business counselors can better understand primary business goals and existing business characteristics which can be translated into performance and success

Measuring the economic tradeoffs between forest carbon sequestration and forest bioenergy production

A variety of different mechanisms have been proposed and developed to halt or reverse the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Technological solutions to combat the excessive buildup of atmospheric greenhouse gases include sequestration, capture and storage, renewable bioenergy, and combustion efficiency. In that forests constitute a large percentage of land globally, the technological solutions that take advantage of forestland to mitigate climate change are carbon sequestration in trees as well as bioelectricity and biofuel production from forest biomass. According to the United States Department of Energy (US DOE, 2010), carbon sequestration is one of the most effective methods known to mitigate greenhouse gas buildup. However, in today\u27s environment, renewable energy is a desired option for many countries to simultaneously reduce dependence on imported petroleum and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Climate change researchers who focus on forestry find that although the benefits of forest carbon sequestration are widely apparent, the same cannot be said for the benefits of forest bioenergy. Therefore, our objective is to model the interactions and interdependencies between forest carbon sequestration and forest bioenergy production. It is important to determine the role forestry will play in the context of climate change policies, such as renewable portfolio standards for bioelectricity, renewable fuel standards for biofuels, and forest carbon sequestration because forests account for nearly one-third of global land area (FAO, 2006). Our primary objective is to examine the global supply, demand, welfare, and emissions impacts of forest-based climate change mitigation policies. We use a global computable general equilibrium (CGE) trade model to measure the tradeoffs between forest used for carbon sequestration and forest biomass used for fossil fuel substitution. Specifically, we use the recursively dynamic Future Agricultural Resources Model (FARM). FARM\u27s general equilibrium framework is able to evaluate the land use, welfare and emissions impacts on the global economy of forest-based greenhouse mitigation strategies using a computable general equilibrium framework. We then use a theoretical forestry model that incorporates the prices of carbon and forest productions from the FARM model to determine if a particular amount of forest sequestration is feasible based on timber vintages (age classes) and forest yield curves. We find that forest bioenergy production through renewable energy policies and forest carbon sequestration via a carbon tax/subsidy scheme are able to coexist in the global economy. Subsidized forest carbon sequestration can reach up to 57 million metric tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (mtCO2e) annually in the United States in conjunction with a carbon tax on fossil fuels, even when all of the renewable energy mandates for bioelectricity and biofuels are met in the United States and Europe. The theoretical model confirms that at $50 per mtCO2e this scenario is indeed a possibility with little impacts on welfare. All mitigation policies are implemented in a revenue neutral manner. We conclude that in the presence of existing bioenergy policies, there is still an opportunity to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide with subsidized forest sequestration

Local Food Systems Concepts, Impacts, and Issues

u s da. gov Visit Our Website To Learn More! w www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/ FoodMarketingSystem/ Recommended citation format for this publication

Local Food Systems: Concepts, Impacts, and Issues

This comprehensive overview of local food systems explores alternative definitions of local food, estimates market size and reach, describes the characteristics of local consumers and producers, and examines early indications of the economic and health impacts of local food systems. There is no consensus on a definition of “local” or “local food systems” in terms of the geographic distance between production and consumption. But defining “local” based on marketing arrangements, such as farmers selling directly to consumers at regional farmers’ markets or to schools, is well recognized. Statistics suggest that local food markets account for a small, but growing, share of U.S. agricultural production. For smaller farms, direct marketing to consumers accounts for a higher percentage of their sales than for larger farms. Findings are mixed on the impact of local food systems on local economic development and better nutrition levels among consumers, and sparse literature is so far inconclusive about whether localization reduces energy use or greenhouse gas emissions