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Organic agriculture and local food systems are seen as an alternative to the negative environmental impacts associated with conventional agricultural production systems and mainstream food distribution systems. There is a necessary relationship between organic and local food systems based on their ability to abate environmental pollution. However, that potential is limited to the degree that "organic", "local" and "locally grown organic" foods are able to comprehensively permeate throughout the food system. Farmer's Market and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) groups have been the foundational movements for promoting sustainably grown local foods. Initatives to reach a broader range of buyers and create more marketing opportunities for local farmers have concentrated on developing restaurants and retail food outlets markets. Restaurants, food retail outlets, and individual consumers impact each others buying and eating habits by influencing product selection based on taste, aesthetics, growing methods, and place of origin.Time, skill, mobility, information access and social networks are factors that shape farmers ability to price, market and distribute their products. Small and medium-scale organic growers in Ohio lack the distribution networks already established in large-scale production areas like California. In Ohio certified organic land has increased over three fold since 1999. However, few of Ohio's family farmers are pursuing direct marketing of produce, meat and diary products beyond farmers' markets and CSAs to serve the growing demand for local and organic foods among culinary and retail communities. Statewide social surveys and interviews with 100 restaurants and food stores examine perceptions of local foods and assess the opportunities and barriers for marketing and distribution. Findings indicate a strong preference for low-input foods; respondents expressed difficulty sourcing products and the desire for a regional local foods distributor carrying a diverse array of high quality and culturally appropriate products to satisfy emerging needs of new ethnic and established communities. Understanding current regional market demands and purchasing patterns in Ohio can reveal new market opportunities for local farmers, local processors and distributors. These market opportunities could become a catalyst to adopt new farming techniques that would increase grower profitability while simultaneously abating pollution associated with agriculture. |
