Local consumption or Local economy refers to the collaborative effort to build economies based on products from the locality, region or region. Specifically in the field of food, it refers to the integrated production, processing, distribution and consumption to improve the economy, environment, health and social relations of a particular place[1] and is considered part of a broader movement, such as the sustainable movement.
The term is part of local purchasing and the community-based economy, that is, the preference to buy locally produced goods and services.[2].
Relevant actors of the local economy.
Open economy: Open market is one in which the producers are mainly outside the system (region) and therefore the products must be imported.
Local economy: Local market is where producers are located within the system (region) and the flow of products to or from outside the system is negligible. These types of flows are expected to be dominant in this type of economy.
Local consumption systems
Local consumption systems are an alternative to global corporation models where producers and consumers are separated by a chain of processors/manufacturers, intermediaries and speculators.[3].
The development of local food systems has not only environmental benefits (see Food miles concept), but also social and economic benefits through the improvement of local social relations. Buying and producing locally implements responsibility. Distance reduces responsibility.[4].
Defining a movement
At the beginning of the century, the decline of the family farm and the growth of business or corporate farms began in the United States. In the 60s and 70s, with the Back to the land movement, the number of members of small farms that sold a wide variety of products to local communities increased. Since the late 1970s, the increase in the number of multinational companies has multiplied the volume of the food system. Since that same period, a slow but constant movement of farmers and consumers rebuild relationships and consumer habits in favor of consumption based on local production and where producer and consumer know each other.
Proximity commerce
Introduction
Local consumption or Local economy refers to the collaborative effort to build economies based on products from the locality, region or region. Specifically in the field of food, it refers to the integrated production, processing, distribution and consumption to improve the economy, environment, health and social relations of a particular place[1] and is considered part of a broader movement, such as the sustainable movement.
The term is part of local purchasing and the community-based economy, that is, the preference to buy locally produced goods and services.[2].
Relevant actors of the local economy.
Open economy: Open market is one in which the producers are mainly outside the system (region) and therefore the products must be imported.
Local economy: Local market is where producers are located within the system (region) and the flow of products to or from outside the system is negligible. These types of flows are expected to be dominant in this type of economy.
Local consumption systems
Local consumption systems are an alternative to global corporation models where producers and consumers are separated by a chain of processors/manufacturers, intermediaries and speculators.[3].
The development of local food systems has not only environmental benefits (see Food miles concept), but also social and economic benefits through the improvement of local social relations. Buying and producing locally implements responsibility. Distance reduces responsibility.[4].
Defining a movement
At the beginning of the century, the decline of the family farm and the growth of business or corporate farms began in the United States. In the 60s and 70s, with the Back to the land movement, the number of members of small farms that sold a wide variety of products to local communities increased. Since the late 1970s, the increase in the number of multinational companies has multiplied the volume of the food system. Since that same period, a slow but constant movement of farmers and consumers rebuild relationships and consumer habits in favor of consumption based on local production and where producer and consumer know each other.
The term Local consumption is usually related to the slogan Think globally, act locally, used in the environmental movement.
Those who support the development of an economy based on local food consumption consider that since food is essential for everyone, forever and every day, a small change in the way it is produced, processed and distributed will have a great effect on health, the ecosystem and the preservation of cultural diversity. Purchasing decisions that favor local consumption directly affect the well-being of the population, improving local economies and the environment.
One of the pioneers in the area of local economy was E. F. Schumacher.
Local consumption networks include community gardens, food cooperatives, community-supported agriculture, farmers' markets, seed exchange networks (seed savers), etc. The main difference between these systems and others called Agrifood is the spatial dimension.
Local consumption networks are described as Agriculture-based communities (e.g. Pimbert, et al., 2001), "Direct agricultural markets",[5] or "localist agriculture" (Hines, et al., 2000). The terms network and system are frequently interchanged, but there seems to be a preference for the word Network.
Definitions of premises
The definition of local or regional is flexible and differs from person to person. For example, a cheese business and a farm differ in concept in that the cheese is easily transportable throughout the region, while perishable farm products may only be able to consider the journey of a day's walk, which is how long the food can travel without deteriorating, even if a day's walk in the high mountains means a few kilometers.
The term local can be understood as a very small area, such as a town and its immediate belt, but also as a natural region or even a department, region or state.
It should be taken into account that for a person born in the Province of La Pampa (143,440 km²) or in the autonomous community of Castilla y León (94,223 km²), local means within the state or autonomous community, while there are much smaller countries anywhere in the world (Belgium has 30,510 km²), which means that food that crosses a region travels more kilometers than between the south and the north in another country. In fact, there are arguments for not using country borders to define the concept of local. A good example of this is that the cheese produced in Alsace (France) is more local for a German, from Frankfurt am Main, than for a Frenchman from Marseille.
Proposals
What do we have to do.
Possible actions.
Educational campaign.
Generation of production cooperatives.
Local Seal.
Regulations.
References
[1] ↑ Feenstra, G. (2002) Creating space for sustainable food systems: lessons from the field. Agriculture and Human Values. 19(2). 99-106.
[2] ↑ Roosevelt, M. (2006) The Lure of the 100-Mile Diet. Time Magazine. Sunday June 11, 2006. Accessed at http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1200783,00.html Archivado el 26 de agosto de 2013 en Wayback Machine. on Nov 1, 2007 at 10:35 am PDT).: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1200783,00.html
[5] ↑ Hinrichs, C.C. (2000) Embeddedness and local food systems: notes on two types of direct agricultural markets. Journal of Rural Studies, 16 (3), 295-303.
The term Local consumption is usually related to the slogan Think globally, act locally, used in the environmental movement.
Those who support the development of an economy based on local food consumption consider that since food is essential for everyone, forever and every day, a small change in the way it is produced, processed and distributed will have a great effect on health, the ecosystem and the preservation of cultural diversity. Purchasing decisions that favor local consumption directly affect the well-being of the population, improving local economies and the environment.
One of the pioneers in the area of local economy was E. F. Schumacher.
Local consumption networks include community gardens, food cooperatives, community-supported agriculture, farmers' markets, seed exchange networks (seed savers), etc. The main difference between these systems and others called Agrifood is the spatial dimension.
Local consumption networks are described as Agriculture-based communities (e.g. Pimbert, et al., 2001), "Direct agricultural markets",[5] or "localist agriculture" (Hines, et al., 2000). The terms network and system are frequently interchanged, but there seems to be a preference for the word Network.
Definitions of premises
The definition of local or regional is flexible and differs from person to person. For example, a cheese business and a farm differ in concept in that the cheese is easily transportable throughout the region, while perishable farm products may only be able to consider the journey of a day's walk, which is how long the food can travel without deteriorating, even if a day's walk in the high mountains means a few kilometers.
The term local can be understood as a very small area, such as a town and its immediate belt, but also as a natural region or even a department, region or state.
It should be taken into account that for a person born in the Province of La Pampa (143,440 km²) or in the autonomous community of Castilla y León (94,223 km²), local means within the state or autonomous community, while there are much smaller countries anywhere in the world (Belgium has 30,510 km²), which means that food that crosses a region travels more kilometers than between the south and the north in another country. In fact, there are arguments for not using country borders to define the concept of local. A good example of this is that the cheese produced in Alsace (France) is more local for a German, from Frankfurt am Main, than for a Frenchman from Marseille.
Proposals
What do we have to do.
Possible actions.
Educational campaign.
Generation of production cooperatives.
Local Seal.
Regulations.
References
[1] ↑ Feenstra, G. (2002) Creating space for sustainable food systems: lessons from the field. Agriculture and Human Values. 19(2). 99-106.
[2] ↑ Roosevelt, M. (2006) The Lure of the 100-Mile Diet. Time Magazine. Sunday June 11, 2006. Accessed at http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1200783,00.html Archivado el 26 de agosto de 2013 en Wayback Machine. on Nov 1, 2007 at 10:35 am PDT).: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1200783,00.html
[5] ↑ Hinrichs, C.C. (2000) Embeddedness and local food systems: notes on two types of direct agricultural markets. Journal of Rural Studies, 16 (3), 295-303.