Sustainability research guides

Local food

Definition and scope

"Local food" commonly describes food that has been produced, processed, and distributed within a particular geographic boundary or is associated with a particular geographic region…. The term "local" has been contested and debated, but is largely defined by the particular context in which it is being used, often defined and redefined to meet the needs of the retailer, producer, or organization in each situation. For the most part, definitions of "local" tend to be associated with issues such as sustainability, quality, authenticity, and community. Consumers often define local food in a geographic sense, but don’t necessarily assign a minimum distance. They are more likely to buy from the closest possible source for each food item.
-- From the Encyclopedia of Organic, Sustainable, and Local Food

This research guide offers a starting point for locating resources and information related to "local food" in the context of the definition above. The concept of "local food" can be viewed through a variety of filters: food production and quality, food security, food policy, nutrition, ecology, agriculture, environmentalism, politics, business/marketing, food industry, and community. For more information about these various aspects of local food, consult related subject guides (e.g., Agriculture and Applied Economics or Sustainable Agriculture; Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise; Business; Marketing; Environmental Sciences; or Political Science, Government, and International Affairs). All subject guides can be found on the main subject guide page.

Synonyms or alternative search terms

• Alternative agriculture
• Carbon footprint
• Community gardens
• Community-based agriculture
• Community-based economics
• Community-supported agriculture (CSA)
• Direct agricultural markets
• Family farms
• Farmers markets
• Food consumption
• Food cooperatives (coops)
• Food miles
• Food patriotism
• Food policy
• Green politics
• Local food movement
• Local independent processors
• Localist agriculture
• Regional food
• Rural sustainability
• Seed savers
• Slow food
• Urban agriculture

Addison

In addition to the keywords/search terms listed above, use the following phrases as a subject search within Addison. To do this, select the Subject Search and this will refine results to items only related to the subject you’ve entered.

To achieve a narrower set of results, try using the Addison Advanced Search screen. Enter the following terms as "Subject"—a drop-down choice in the search boxes provided—with additional keywords (cities, states, countries, programs, etc.) in the following search box(es) with "Any Field" selected in the drop-box.

• Agricultural ecology
• Agriculture
• Alternative agriculture
• Community life
• Community-supported agriculture
• Family farms
• Farmers’ markets
• Farms, small
• Food habits
• Food security
• Food supply
• Human ecology
• Local foods
• Organic farming
• Sustainable agriculture

Selected library resources

Many items found within Newman Library specifically address the issue of local food. Locate the following items in the library, and browse around in the general area where they are found for other, related resources. Note that the first resource listed is Virginia Tech’s 2010-11 Common Book.

• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle:  A Year of Food Life, by Barbara Kingsolver
• Bringing it to the Table:  On Farming and Food, by Wednell Berry, with an introduction by Michael Pollan
• Community Food Security Resource Kit:  How to Find Money, Technical Assistance, and Other Help to Fight Hunger and Strengthen Local Food Systems [online resource], published by the United States Department of Agriculture
• Encyclopedia of Organic, Sustainable, and Local Food, ed. by Leslie A. Duram
• Home Grown:  The Case for Local Food in a Global Market, by Brian Halweil

Databases

The databases described below are good places to begin looking for literature about local foods and related topics. When searching through these databases, use the keywords, synonyms, or Addison subject terms listed above. With many of these databases, remember that it is possible to limit results to literature published within a certain time frame, in a certain language, or by a certain author. For help with effectively searching these databases, view the University Libraries' Screencasts (tutorials).

AGRICOLA from USDA (NAL Catalog)

Agricola is a database maintained by the United States Department of Agriculture and indexes the literature of the National Agricultural Library. It also serves as the primary public source for world-wide access to agricultural information. The material indexed by Agricola covers all aspects of agriculture, including: animal and veterinary sciences, plant sciences, entomology, forestry, aquaculture and fisheries, farming and farming systems agricultural economics, extension and education, food and human nutrition, and earth and environmental sciences.

CAB Abstracts from CABDirect

CAB Abstracts is published by CABI, a not-for-profit science-based development and information organization; this group provides scientific expertise and information on agriculture and the environment. CAB Abstracts indexes items from other 9,000 serials, books, and conference proceedings, offering a total of over 6 million items, going back as far as 1973. An international database, CAB Abstracts offers access to publications from over 150 countries in 50 languages (although most articles have English abstracts).

FSTA - Food Science and Technology Abstracts from EBSCOhost

FSTA includes material from over 4,600 serials, covering all major food commodities plus biotechnology, microbiology, food safety, additives, nutrition, packaging, and pet foods. Resources in this database go back as far as 1969.

PubMed/MEDLINE from the NLM

PubMed is an open-access database maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the U.S. National Library of Medicine, located at the National Institutes of Health. It includes approximately 20 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books.

Science Citation Index from ISI Web of Knowledge

ISI Web of Science’s Science Citation Index covers the major journal literature of the sciences, including more than 5,800 journals across 164 scientific disciplines. The literature in this database ranges from 1900 through the present, and includes information on agriculture, biochemistry, biology, plant sciences, medicine, zoology, and more.

Websites

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center from the National Agricultural Library

The AFSIC specializes in identifying resources about sustainable food systems and practices, supporting the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s effort to ensure a sustainable future for agriculture and farmers throughout the world. This regularly updated website includes a feed of the most recent news relating to sustainable agriculture and local food and points its visitors to related pages from the USDA and the National Agricultural Library. Related sources found on this page reflect the most recent information about organic food and farming, local farmers, community supported agriculture, and government offices and projects related to sustainable agriculture.

Farmland Information Center

The Farmland Information Center represents a partnership between the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and American Farmland Trust. This site incorporates articles, books, fact sheets, technical memos, and reports relating to farming, conservation, local resources, and more. Additionally, the statistics area of the FIC offers frequently requested data from the Natural Resources Inventory such as the Census of Agriculture.

Community Supported Agriculture from the National Agricultural Library

This NAL publication provides a working definition of community supported agriculture while offering an updated, national directory of CSA farms, surveys, statistics, and resources for more information related to community supported agriculture. Nearly all of the information provided on this page comes from federal and state government resources or university studies.

Farm to School

The National Farm to School Network is a collaborative project of the Center for Food & Justice, which is a division of the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College, and the Community Food Security Coalition. It aims to bring healthy food from local farms to schoolchildren throughout the nation, teaching children about the path from “farm to fork” and instilling healthy eating habits. The program also strives to support local farms and communities. The Farm to School website offers detailed information about all of the existing Farm to School programs, case studies, evaluations, curricular resources, and funding opportunities related to local foods.

Farmers Markets and Local Food Marketing from the United States Department of Agriculture

This USDA publication offers national farmers market facts, statistics, developments, trends, and promotions relating to local food vendors. Information about funding opportunities, starting a farmers market, and locating a farmers market can also be found on this page.

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food from the United States Department of Agriculture

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food is a USDA initiative that promotes sustainable local and regional food systems that has the combined mission of: supporting local farmers, strengthening communities, promoting healthy eating, and protecting natural resources. The website serves as a portal of information on the USDA’s efforts revolving around each part of this mission to reinvigorate the nation’s local and regional food systems.

Nutrition Assistance Programs & Community Food Systems from the National Agricultural Library

This NAL publication makes the connection between nutrition and community food systems. It provides a general overview of community food systems, a list of resources on sustainable agriculture, information on farmers markets and food entrepreneurship, and links to related, nongovernmental organizations such as the FoodRoutes Network, FoodShare, the Food Circles Networking Project and the Food Trust.