The 2010 ASHS Annual Conference

Objective(s):
Provide a forum through which participants will: 1) be exposed to balanced perspectives on the opportunities and limitations associated with the advancement of local food systems, 2) become familiar with examples of successful localization (e.g., resources, process, impacts), 3) strengthen and establish collaborations, and 4) identify specific steps available to ASHS and its stakeholders for eliminating resource gaps within local food systems.

Reducing the distance between sites of food production and consumption is regarded by many as fundamental to personal and collective well-being. Localizing food supplies and consumption is regarded as resource efficient, integral to enhancing the positive role of food and diet in human health, and an economic engine. Localization often employs natural and other models of resource procurement, handling and distribution. This approach helps localization to be adaptable to a range of conditions, scalable in terms of targets for the amount of food consumed within a geographic area being produced in the same area and replicable on a wide scale. While local food systems are increasing in number and impact, many recognize significant obstacles to their advancement. For example, current inherent production capacities vary at all geographic scales due to seemingly unalterable factors. Fluctuating seasonal abiotic conditions disrupt production in nearly every area at some time each calendar year and population and land availability have a number of potentially negative on- and off-farm effects on system capacity. Also, off-farm distribution, marketing and other factors can limit consumer access to local farm products. And, the knowledge base required to initiate and strengthen local food systems is deficient. This deficiency is opportunity for professional horticulturists as they continue to have key roles in addressing major questions related to the structure and function of future food systems, especially local ones. This workshop is an interactive forum through which participants will: 1) be exposed to balanced perspectives on the opportunities and limitations associated with the advancement of local food systems, 2) become familiar with examples of successful localization (e.g., resources, process, impacts), 3) strengthen and establish collaborations, and 4) identify specific steps available to ASHS and its stakeholders for eliminating resource gaps within local food systems. Invited presentations will be complemented by open, facilitated discussion on issues related to the potential establishment of an efficient and responsive local food systems-specific research, extension and teaching infrastructure. The discussion is expected to cover topics such as supply-demand discrepancies (including seasonality and distribution), local-scale appropriate methods, technology, regulation and policy, and research-extension-teaching program resource procurement. Speakers, topics, and procedural details of the workshop will be set in part based on input obtained via social networking portals, including those managed by ASHS.