Upload
andrew-ellis
View
168
Download
3
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY OF THE LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT IN COOKEVILLE: WHAT MAKES A LOCAL FOOD ECONOMY FLOURISH
ANDREW [email protected]
RESEARCH QUESTION.
• WHO ARE THE KEY PLAYERS IN THE SMALL, BUT GROWING
LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM IN COOKEVILLE? WHAT MAKES A
SUCCESSFUL LOCAL FOOD ECONOMY?
METHODOLOGY
• COMPLETE IMMERSION IN THE LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM
• VOLUNTEERED ON TWO DIFFERENT FARMS
• QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS WITH KEY PLAYERS IN THE LOCAL
FOOD MOVEMENT IN COOKEVILLE
WHAT IS EATING LOCAL?
• AMBIGUOUS TERM
• 100 MILES, STATEWIDE, REGIONAL OR NATIONAL?
50 km, 100 mi., 400 mi., and 1,500 mi. rad
ii around Nashville, Tennessee
LITERATURE REVIEW
• THREE EMPHASES IN THE LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT THAT CAN
LEAD TO PROBLEMS IN DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE FOOD
SYSTEMS (DELIND, 2009)
• FOCUS ON ENTIRE SYSTEM, NOT JUST PRODUCTION (DAHLBERG,
1993)
• A SUCCESSFUL SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEM PROMOTES SOCIAL
JUSTICE, EQUAL ACCESS, CREATES JOBS, AND BUILDS SOCIAL
TIES (FEENSTRA, 2002)
KEY PLAYERS IN THE MOVEMENT
• FARMERS, CONSUMERS, BUSINESS OWNERS
• MINIMAL BACKGROUND IN AGRICULTURE
• A DESIRE TO SEE INCREASED ACCESS TO FRESH HEALTHY
FOODS WHILE SUPPORTING THE LOCAL ECONOMY.
WHY BUY LOCAL?
• RD: “…LARGELY FRESHNESS, QUALITY, TASTE, IN TERMS OF THE
CONSUMERS POINT OF VIEW….AS FAR AS ENERGY IS
CONCERNED ABOUT EVERY BITE OF FOOD YOU TAKE HAS
TRAVELED ABOUT 1,500 MILES. MOST OF THE FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES THAT YOU FIND AT THE GROCERY STORE HAVE
BEEN IN TRANSIT FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS…”
• BB: ”PHYSICAL HEALTH, ABSOLUTELY. I DON’T BELIEVE MOST OF
THE FOOD WE EAT IN THE STORES IS ACTUALLY FOOD, AND I EAT
A LOT OF IT, DON’T GET ME WRONG, I’M NOT A PURIST BY ANY
CHANCE…MAKING PEOPLE REALIZE THAT JUST BECAUSE
SOMETHING IS CHEAPER, DOESN’T MAKE IT BETTER…CHEAP
FOOD AT A STORE DOESN’T MAKE IT GOOD FOOD…”
WHY BUY LOCAL?
• RL: WELL, YOU KNOW, STAYING WITHIN THE LOCAL ECONOMY IS
IMPORTANT, THE BENEFIT IS THE RELATIONSHIP YOU HAVE WITH
THOSE PEOPLE. THE QUALITY THE FRESHNESS, KNOWING WEATHER
THEY ARE PUTTING PESTICIDES ON THE FOOD OR NOT. JUST
KNOWING WHAT GOES INTO THE FOOD SO THAT WHEN I SAY, WHEN I
TELL MY CUSTOMERS WHAT GOES INTO THE FOOD I KNOW THAT IT’S
TRUE.
LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT: A GROWING SOCIAL MOVEMENT.
• RD: “WE’RE BEHIND THE CURVE A LITTLE BIT…THERE’S NOT REALLY
AN ORGANIZED EFFORT AT THIS POINT LIKE THERE IS IN THE
NASHVILLE AREA WITH THE LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT, BUT THAT’S
BEGINNING, THE TALK HAS BEHUN AND THERE ARE KEY PLAYERS
WHO ARE BEGINNING TO MOVE INTO PLACE, ESPECIALLY PEOPLE
CONNECTED TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS, SOME OF THE LOCAL
RESTAURANT AND GROCERY FOLKS, AND JUST THE PUBLIC ITSELF…
I WOULD PREDICT THAT WITHIN THE NEXT THREE TO FIVE YEARS
THERE WILL BE A REAL VIBRANT [LOCAL] FOOD MOVEMENT…”
• JC: “YEAH, I DO [SEE THE LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT GROWING IN THIS
AREA]… WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE MARKET NOW IS REALLY
GOOD… I THINK PEOPLE JUST DON’T KNOW THERE’S ANYTHING
THERE ON SATURDAY MORNING.”
LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT: A GROWING SOCIAL MOVEMENT.
• ND: “JUST BEING AT THE FARMERS MARKET SINCE BACK IN THE DAY WHEN I
WAS WITH TECH IT REALLY, THERE REALLY IS A BIG DIFFERENCE NOW, I MEAN
THAT WAS PROBABLY 4-5 YEARS AGO AND THERE’S MORE VENDORS NOW,
THAT I’VE NOTICED. PEOPLE AT OUR NEW MARKET PUT A LOT OF WORK INTO
THE PRESENTATION OF IT, MAKING IT LOOK GOOD… THERE DEFINITELY IS, IT’S
STARTING TO BECOME MORE SO IN COOKEVILLE A PUSH FOR LOCAL FOOD…
IT’S SORT OF THE OLDER, MAYBE TECH PROFESSOR TYPE GROUP THAT HAVE
THAT INTEREST. I THINK IT STARTED THERE AND MAYBE, HOPEFULLY MOVES
TO THE STUDENT BODY AT TECH.”
• BB: “…IT BREAKS DOWN SOCIAL BARRIERS THAT I THINK ARE MOSTLY
ARTIFICIAL BARRIERS. IIT CROSSES ECONOMIC LINES, POLITICAL LINES, SOCIAL,
IT IS IT’S OWN THING AND PEOPLE FROM EVERY PERSUASION COME TOGETHER
AROUND FOOD. PEOPLE WHO OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE NO CONTACT,
WOULDN’T WANT TO HAVE ANY CONTACT, THEY ARE VERY UNITED IN THEIR
DESIRE TO HACE THAT SYSTEM AND IT’S REALLY COOL.”
FARMER’S RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER FARMERS
• BB: “WE ALL RELY ON EACH OTHER. IF THEY’RE SHORT, I MEAN
WE’VE ALL DONE IT, SOMEBODY’S SHORT ON CSA THEY COME
OVER AND GO HEY I CAN’T MAKE WHAT I NEED FOR CSA THIS
WEEK, WHAT CAN YOU SELL ME….THERE’S NO ONE MAN
MARKET”
• JC: “…IT’S SORT OF A COOPERATIVE. OF COURSE WE’RE ALL
COMPETING, BUT WHAT I’VE NOTICED IS THAT PEOPLE DON’T
JUST GO TO ONE PERSON AND BUY EVERYTHING THEY NEED,
THEY KIND OF SPREAD IT OUT BECAUSE IT’S PART OF THE
MOVEMENT. I TRY TO HELP THE OTHER GUYS AS MUCH AS I CAN.
I DON’T WANT TO WATCH THEM SIT THERE BY THEMSELVES… IF
ONE PERSON’S NOT DOING GOOD THAT KIND OF HURTS.”
RELATIONSHIPS WITH CUSTOMERS.
• BB “NO ONE IS GOING TO COME TO THE MARKET TO SEE ONE GUY, I
MEAN THEY’RE ALL THERE TO SEE MULTIPLE PEOPLE…I MEAN THERE’S
PLENTY OF MY CUSTOMERS, I’VE HAD YOU KNOW, MY TRUCK’S BROKEN
DOWN AND THEY SHOW UP TO SEE IF THEY CAN HELP CARRY MY STUFF
TO MARKET.”
• JC: SUPPORT FROM THE CONSUMERS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
FOR ME. “I COULD DO THIS ALL DAY LONG AND IT WOULD BE FOR
NOTHING WITHOUT PEOPLE WHO WANT IT… IT’S COOL TO SEE ALL
THOSE PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT STAGES OF LIFE WANTING THE SAME
AWESOME THING. PEOPLE COME IN AND THEY STAY AND THEY TALK TO
THE FARMERS AND THEY TALK TO EACH OTHER. IT’S NOT LIKE GOING
INTO A 7ELEVEN SNAGGING WHAT YOU NEED AND LEAVING… THE LAST
ONE [FARMERS MARKET] I WAS AT I WAS ON A FIRST NAME BASIS WITH
EVERYBODY.
CONCLUSION.
• THE LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT IS STEADILY
GROWING IN COOKEVILLE.
• BUSINESSES AND CONSUMERS ARE BECOMING
INCREASINGLY INTERESTED IN LOCALLY PRODUCED
FOOD AND GOODS.
• THE FOCUS OF THE MOVEMENT IS ON BUILDING
EQUAL ACCESS, SUPPORTING THE LOCAL ECONOMY
AND BUILDING SOCIAL TIES AMONG THE FARMING
COMMUNITY AND WITH THE CUSTOMER BASE.