Question

1.) Evaluate the potential of the local food movement to form the basis of community development programs. What are the critical obstacles to building a local food system, like a farm-to-school program? Respond to the criticism that local food programs are directed primarily to wealthy families.

Answer 1

Local Food movements or community development program is formed globally as local & regional food systems that are focused to improvise the vitality of communities in both urban & rural areas, Globally many emerging economies have put dollars in building such programs regulated by the government to offer better business opportunities in food movement systems, focusing more local out of renewed interest to know how food comes from & produced with various programs attached as farm to school programs as a part of local food systems which aims to orient the kids to make healthier food buying decisions as they grow up.

-Following are the key potential aspects of local food systems which form the development communities programs:

• Improvising the Business capacity as by starting the farming it has many challenges upfront as per research made by US Census of Agriculture the farmer's scale has dropped 20% from 2007 to 2012 leaving the learning curve as steep, with various information on risk, production planning & resource management by accessing the land, capital & markets connected to gain the potential in local food movement system programs at large.
• Assessing/connecting the Markets is another potential aspects that focus on beyond business planning which states the key marketing integration & planning that takes into account of consumers interest on the product, managing the competitive pricing of foods in the market, supporting farmers via various connectivity market channels to market their products & thereby building sound local food system programs that match the consumers & farmers needs globally by communities working together to establish a key infrastructure that supports the system holistically.
• Local food system movement programs focus on the distribution & Aggregation framework as a key potential aspect that looks on various integration of distribution channels by aggregating the products of multiple farms with volume & consistency needed to reach a larger market globally. To focus on this there are many community developments programs have designed as Cooperatives which are a group of farmers who come together to aggregate the food systems, designing community-supported agriculture(CSA) programs that manage the risk of farmers by sharing, engaging farmers markets programs, Food Hubs & also establish a fair transparent system that manages overall safety, processing, movement by building strong communities regulated.

-Building the local food system the key obstacles that are attached with farm to school program is explained as follows:

• A farm to school program is designed to provide the practices of the food system at the local front into schools whereby building the school garden, the local farm produced supplies & thereby providing education on agriculture & food habits among kids is a key aspect of this program.
• As per National Farm to School Network there is 44% of US schools that have a farm to school programs that has increased so tremendously the percent in US schools in last decades, which drives to focus on getting more fresh vegetables, fruits convent into school food as lunches & thereby improve kids eating habits at schools that include the local food guides in purchasing for school programs, providing the various tool kits that help to train school kitchen staff thereby coordinate by all means to local food producers & thereby match the curriculum set up to teach these young minds about agriculture, food, farming & nutrition by all means.
• The key obstacles in building such programs are managing the food safety & food processing measures which includes controlling the unsafe means of production of foods, improper distribution of foods, lack of market connectivity, storage & delivery facility to the required destination is a major issue that creates the obstacle to match such community-building food programs. Process food is another key issue that where the value-added products create risk with improper management of resources, building food processing facilities including mobile & on-farm needs is key that matches the farmer, consumer & communities' convenience getting food systems aligned.

-Local food systems & critical food programs are designed/directed to primarily wealthy families/discrimination is explained below:

• Local food system programs are designed to match every person's needs as urban & poor globally, but there are many criticisms that the people face among communities with such programs that creates discrimination. As per the global food development survey index, the communities face various crises/discrimination due to improper facilities or regulations that don't match the needs of farmers, consumers & communities globally.
• The study provides insights that address the key community issues as a fraud in managing the food systems, mal-practices that is designed to provide the school to farm programs, discuss on food to urban poor which has legal protection on protecting the right to food for women, protecting the child disease due to improper food supply to serve malnutrition, & discrimination effects on children & people who are not getting much benefit of such programs.
• There are many hunger refugees which also doesn't come in the cover of such programs on food which are primely oriented on wealthy families connectivity, the rural poor, urban poor & other needy people who are in poverty are very much kept away by the legislation, regulations & legal compliance that support their needs which is critical is managing such food systems programs at various geographical needs globally in farming & consumptions with community building.