Challenges of Local Food Systems

Interest in local food systems has been steadily increasing as shown by the growing supply of and demand for local foods. Some evidence of this growth includes the number of farmers’ markets that have nearly tripled, and the initiation of thousands of farm-to-school programs across the U.S. Additionally, local foods have often topped consumer and food professional surveys of food trends. 

How do we define these local systems? How can we help to sustain them? In this episode, David Outerbridge, UF/IFAS Lee County Sustainable Food Systems Agent talks to us to answer these questions. 

Find out about: 

- How terms like “local” and “sustainable” food systems are often defined 

- Challenges to the local food movement 

- Solutions to local food systems challenges 

Learn more about food systems on the UF/IFAS Food Systems Institute website: https://foodsystems.ifas.ufl.edu