Emily Brooks & Edibles Advocate Alliance builds successful Local Food Webs and Sustainable Community Food Systems.
What Is A Local Food Web?
A Food Web consists of the links between farmers and growers, processors, suppliers, local food shops, as well as other local food providers such as farmers markets, box schemes, community supported agriculture and food cooperatives, through to consumers.
A thriving Local Food Web benefits people, places and communities by:
- Creating new jobs and small businesses,
- Keeping local money in the local economy,
- Generating fewer food miles and less waste,
- Securing thriving business models for farmers and producers,
- Increasing access to fresh, healthy, affordable food, and
- Expanding consumer choice of where to shop and what to buy locally produced items.
Local food matters. It connects people to the land. It creates opportunities for farmers to provide food directly to their customers and helps communities increase their health, build local business distribution systems, preserve the environment, and solidify strong economic foundations.
- Strengthen the fledgling self-sustaining and community-driven local food system, or interconnected 'web' that incorporates the agricultural needs and resources,
- Develop an understanding of where and how food is produced and sold,
- Bring people together to explore problems related to the availability of local food,
- Increase understanding of the benefits and ultimately demand for locally produced food,
- Encourage local communities to support their local food producers,
- Create sustainable community food systems,
- Lay the foundation of a local food distribution system,
- Develop thriving local businesses and increases support for farming,
- Reduce food waste and combats food insecurity,
- Promote economic development.