ABSTRACT
The concept of “food miles” has been employed in activism and research as a quantitative proxy indicator of both the local value and environmental impact of food production. However, the geographic distance travelled by agricultural commodities and their derivatives is not the only form of “distance” that matters in the discussion of food systems. We explore the concept of a place-based food system to reconsider the meaning and value of localized agricultural production. To contribute to a more critical discussion about the meaning and implications of “local food”, this chapter examines the multi-scalar dynamics that constitute and shape distinct regional food systems. Local food practices are nested within, and contribute to, shaping the global food system, but many outcomes of interest are spatially bounded and locally important. In other words, global forces may influence what grows in a given region, but many of the cultural and ecological outcomes of agricultural practice are experienced primarily at local levels. This chapter compares the concepts of localized vs. place-based food systems, and discusses the importance of social and ecological diversification, sustainable nutrient cycling, and connection to place. We explore the differing dynamics of local food systems defined by a geographic boundary, and “place-based” systems that are reflective of and responsive to social, ecological, and economic contexts at multiple scales. A case example of the blueberry industry in British Columbia, Canada, illustrates the complex and intersecting drivers contributing to these dynamics.
