Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

There is no “one-size-fit-all” recipe for building sustainable local food systems, but there are a certain number of key characteristics that are recurrent in sucessfully building sustainable local food systems, that include a mix of collective solidarity economy-based initiatives, such as CSAs, community gardens, allotments, grow-it-yourself and share, pro-collective local small-scale farmer public procurement policies, re-zoning  and protection of land to accommodate urban/peri-urban farming, new forms of collective short-chain distribution systems and small-scale community owned/driven processing units (co-oops and social enterprise are key to this) and many more.

Sustainable food systems need above all to be local and based on a territorial, multi-stakeholder logic. The more community-driven they are, the more sustainable they become, as there is genuine ownership involved. The form that this takes varies from country to country, but there are certainly some constants in terms of sustainable results and virtuous circles.  They involve fair prices being paid to local producers, as well as fair wages and social protection for the agricultural workforce (both on farms and in processing units).  They equally involve solidarity-based local food kitchens or shops that sell healthy local produce for the socially excluded, or as in the case of CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture), the possibility to include shares at significantly lower prices for those in need. The element of negotiation between consumers and producers and shared risk in CSAs is also a significant aspect that builds solidarity, a key ingredient in any kind of sustainable system. CSAs have developed globally and represent an increasinglyly significant number of consumers and producers.

The emergence of Local food Policy Councils is one of the keys to taking local diversity and voices into account, and ensuring that both producers and consumers voices are effectively heard.

I have included hereafter various links that I believe are indicate of emerging trends and solutions. They are based on many different regions and several different countries. Although I have not included any links to initiatives in Brazil, the public procurement and local Feria for small-scale organic farmers are important illustrations of sustainable systems.

There are also an increasing number of Local and Regional governments in France that are paying attention to public procurement that favours small-scale local farmers in sourcing food for school and public authority canteens (Nantes, Poitou-Charentes and others).

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Food Policy Council

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3foJblzhqI&feature=share

http://www.whyhunger.org/portfolio?topicId=37

Sustainable Food Hubs

Ontario (these and many more links available)

http://www.foodhubs.org.au/resource/models-and-best-practices-for-building-sustainable-food-systems-in-ontario-and-beyond/

http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cloe20/18/5#.UtqAzvZKGu4

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13549839.2013.787975#.UtqAn_ZKGu4

http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cloe20/18/5#.UtqAzvZKGu4

http://www.sustainweb.org/publications/?id=176

Mapping local food initiatives in Ontario: the interplay between sectors providing a joined-up picture:

http://nourishingontario.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Appendix_FINAL.pdf

Sustainable Public Procurement in the United Kingdom: Helen Woodcock

http://www.kindling.org.uk/sustainable-fayre-report

Manchester Veg People: growers and buyers coop:

http://www.sustainweb.org/publications/?id=214

A joined-up regional approach in Scotland:

http://www.nourishscotland.org/

Local Authorities and sustainable local food systems

http://www.cefs.ncsu.edu/publications/guide-to-developing-local-food-systems-in-nc.pdf

IUFN: http://fr.iufn.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/IUFN-platform-ufg.pdf

Urban Food network

Eating City: http://www.eatingcity.org/

Local authorities in Japan: http://local-development.blogspot.fr/2010_04_01_archive.html

Making Local Food Work, Plunkett Foundation

http://www.makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk/

Food waste:

http://foodcloud.ie/

Sharing:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=541009725995154&set=a.362586437170818.59843342.357323844363744&type=1&theater

Co-gardening:

http://www.canadiangardening.com/how-to/gardening-resources/make-a-difference-in-your-community-through-co-gardening/a/29152

Sent as attachments:

CSM background paper for the FAO Regional Consultations with

CSOs and the FAO Regional Conference

Making Farmers’ Markets Work: Community

Making Local Food Work: Understanding your Customers

Introduction of Nourish