Local Food Systems and Community Economic Development

<p><em>Local Food Systems and Community Economic Development</em> provides scholarly and practical knowledge on a range of issues often associated with local food system development.</p><p></p><p>Many people agree that there are unintended consequences associated with the manner in which our food supply chain has evolved. These concerns range in focus from health, to environment, to economic structure, to social justice. But, for each argument critical of our current food system, there are to be found strong counter-arguments; the popular press is replete with stories that lean toward taking specific sides in these arguments, often demonizing those on the other side. In this volume local food scholars strive to be fair, balanced, and as factual as possible in their arguments. This even-handed approach is appropriate as it should foster more sustainable community change and should lead us toward a stronger foundation for scholarly inquiry and ultimately more respect and credibility for efforts to better understand the phenomenon of local and regional food system development. </p><p></p><p>Amidst a deepening interest in local food systems as a community economic development strategy, <em>Local Food Systems and Community Economic Development</em> will be of great interest to scholars of community development, rural studies, agriculture, food systems, and rural economy. The chapters originally published as a special issue of <em>Community Development</em>. </p> <p>Motivations for the Book <em>R. David Lamie and Steven Deller</em> 1. Local foods systems and community economic development <em>Steven C. Deller, David Lamie, and Maureen Stickel </em>2. Rural wealth creation of intellectual capital from urban local food system initiatives: Developing indicators to assess change <em>Todd M. Schmit, Becca B. R. Jablonski, Jennifer Minner, David Kay, and </em><em>Libby Christensen</em> 3. Food access, local foods, and community health <em>Steven Deller, Amber Canto, and Laura Brown</em> 4. The impacts of the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion programs <em>Jeffrey K. O’Hara and Carlos Coleman</em> 5. The Local Agrifood System Sustainability/Resilience Index (SRI): Constructing a data tool applied to counties in the southern United States <em>John J. Green, Jim Worstell, and Caroline Canarios</em></p>