Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T09:27:59.420Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mapping potential foodsheds in New York State: A spatial model for evaluating the capacity to localize food production

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 February 2009

Christian J. Peters ,
Nelson L. Bills ,
Arthur J. Lembo ,
Jennifer L. Wilkins  and
Gary W. Fick
Christian J. Peters*
Affiliation:
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Nelson L. Bills
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Arthur J. Lembo
Affiliation:
Department of Geography and Geosciences, Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD 21801, USA.
Jennifer L. Wilkins
Affiliation:
Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Gary W. Fick
Affiliation:
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: cjp20@cornell.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Growing interest in local food has sparked debate about the merits of attempting to reduce the distance food travels. One point of contention is the capacity of local agriculture to meet the food needs of local people. In hopes of informing this debate, this research presents a method for mapping potential foodsheds, land areas that could theoretically feed urban centers. The model was applied to New York State (NYS). Geographic information systems were used to estimate the spatial distribution of food production capacity relative to the food needs of NYS population centers. Optimization tools were then applied to allocate production potential to meet food needs in the minimum distance possible. Overall, the model showed that NYS could provide 34% of its total food needs within an average distance of just 49 km. However, the model did not allocate production potential evenly. Most NYS population centers could have the majority of their food needs sourced in-state, except for the greater New York City (NYC) area. Thus, the study presents a mixed review of the potential for local food systems to reduce the distance food travels. While small- to medium-sized cities of NYS could theoretically meet their food needs within distances two orders of magnitude smaller than the current American food system, NYC must draw on more distant food-producing resources. Nonetheless, the foodshed model provides a successful template for considering the geography of food production and food consumption simultaneously. Such a tool could be valuable for examining how cities might change their food procurement to curb greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to depletion of petroleum and other energy resources necessary for long-distance transport of food.

Keywords

food milesfoodshedgeographic information systems (GIS)local foodoptimization
Type
Research Papers
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 24 , Issue 1 , March 2009 , pp. 72 - 84
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Feenstra, G.W. 1997. Local food systems and sustainable communities. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 12(1):28–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kloppenburg, J. Jr, Hendrickson, J., and Stevenson, G.W. 1996. Coming into the foodshed. Agriculture and Human Values 13(3):33–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Halweil, B. 2002. Home Grown: The Case for Local Food in a Global Market. Worldwatch Institute, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Gussow, J.D. 1999. Dietary guidelines for sustainability: twelve years later. Journal of Nutrition Education 31(4):194–200.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gussow, J.D. and Clancy, K.L. 1986. Dietary guidelines for sustainability. Journal of Nutrition Education 18(1):1–5.Google Scholar
Pirog, R., Van Pelt, T., Enshayan, K., and Cook, E. 2001. Food, Fuel, and Freeways: An Iowa Perspective on How Far Food Travels, Fuel Usage, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions. The Leopold Center, Iowa State University, Ames, IA.Google Scholar
Lyson, T.A. and Green, J. 1999. The agricultural marketscape: a framework for sustaining agriculture and communities in the Northeast. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture 15(2/3):133–150.Google Scholar
Magdoff, F. 2007. Ecological agriculture: principles, practices, and constraints. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 22(2):109–117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
The Economist. 2006. Voting with your trolley. The Economist. 9 December, p. 73–75.Google Scholar
Cloud, J. 2007. My search for the perfect apple. Time 169(11):42–50.Google ScholarPubMed
Bellows, A.C. and Hamm, M.W. 2001. Local autonomy and sustainable development: testing import substitution in localizing food systems. Agriculture and Human Values 18:271–284.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hinrichs, C.C. 2003. The practice and politics of food system localization. Journal of Rural Studies 19:33–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Born, B. and Purcell, M. 2006. Avoiding the local trap: scale and food systems in planning research. Journal of Planning Education and Research 26:195–207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Edwards-Jones, G., Milá i Canals, L., Hounsome, N., Truniger, M., Koerber, G., Hounsome, B., Cross, P., York, E.H., Hospido, A., Plassman, K., Harris, I.M., Edwards, R.T., Day, G.A.S., Tomos, A.D., Cowell, S.J., and Jones, D.L. 2008. Testing the assertion that ‘local food’ is best: the challenges of an evidence-based approach. Trends in Food Science and Technology 19:265–274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peters, C.J., Bills, N.L., Wilkins, J.L., and Fick, G.W. 2009. Foodshed Analysis and Its Relevance to Sustainability. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 24(1):1–7.Google Scholar
United Nations Population Fund. 2007. State of World Population 2007: Unleashing the Potential of Urban Growth. United Nations Population Fund, New York, NY. Available at Web site: http://www.unfpa.org/swp/swpmain.htm (verified 16 May 2008).Google Scholar
Messing, P. 1981. The New York State Food System: Growing Closer to Home. Rodale Press, Emmaus, Pennsylvania, PA.Google Scholar
Stephens, G.R., Fleming, J.G., Gacoin, L.T., and Bravo-Ureta, B.E. 1988. Better nutrition in Connecticut: opportunities for expanding fresh produce production and consumption. Bulletin 852. Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT.Google Scholar
Herrin, M. and Gussow, J.D. 1989. Designing a sustainable regional diet. Journal of Nutrition Education 21(6):270–275.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cowell, S.J. and Parkinson, S. 2003. Localization of UK food production: an analysis using land area and energy as indicators. Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Environment 94:221–236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peters, C.J., Bills, N.L., Wilkins, J.L., and Smith, R.D. 2002. Vegetable consumption, dietary guidelines, and agricultural production in New York State—Implications for local food economies. Research Bulletin 2002–07. Department of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.Google Scholar
Peters, C.J., Bills, N.L., Wilkins, J.L., and Smith, R.D. 2003. Fruit consumption, dietary guidelines, and agricultural production in New York State—Implications for local food economies. Research Bulletin 2003–02. Department of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.Google Scholar
Peters, C.J., Wilkins, J.L., and Fick, G.W. 2007. Testing a complete-diet model for estimating the land resource requirements of food consumption and agricultural carrying capacity: the New York State example. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 22(2):145–153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hedden, W.P. 1929. How Great Cities Are Fed. D.C. Heath and Company, New York, NY.Google Scholar
Pretty, J. 2000. Towards sustainable food and farming systems in industrialized countries. International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology 1(1):77–94.Google Scholar
Feagan, R. 2007. The place of food: mapping out the ‘local’ in local food systems. Progress in Human Geography 31(1):23–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
New York State Adirondack Park Agency. 2003. About the Adirondack Park [Online]. Available at Web site: http://www.apa.state.ny.us/About_Park/index.html (verified 23 September 2008).Google Scholar
Kennedy, E., Blaylock, J., and Kuhn, B. 1999. On the road to better nutrition. In Frazao, E. (ed.) America's Eating Habits: Changes and Consequences. USDA Economic Research Service Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 750. US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. p. 1–4. Available at Website: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/AIB750/ (verified 22 May 2007).Google Scholar
Kantor, L.S. 1999. A comparison of the US food supply with the Food Guide Pyramid recommendations. In Frazao, E. (ed.) America's Eating Habits: Changes and Consequences. USDA Economic Research Service Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 750. US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. p. 71–96. Available at Website: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/AIB750/ (verified 22 May 2007).Google Scholar
Young, C.E. and Kantor, L.S. 1999. Moving toward the Food Guide Pyramid: Implications for US agriculture. In Frazao, E. (ed.) America's Eating Habits: Changes and Consequences. USDA Economic Research Service Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 750. US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. p. 403–423. Available at Website: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/AIB750/ (verified 22 May 2007).Google Scholar
Peters, C.J., Fick, G.W., and Wilkins, J.L. 2003. Cultivating better nutrition: can the Food Pyramid help translate dietary recommendations into agricultural goals? Agronomy Journal 95:1424–1431.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. 1994. State Soil Geographic (STATSGO) Database for New York State. Available at Web site: http://cugir.mannlib.cornell.edu/datatheme.jsp?id=150 (accessed April 2006).Google Scholar
New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. 2006. Soil Group Numbers by County for 2006. Available at Web site: http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/AP/agservices/SOILCOUNTY.htm (accessed April 2006).Google Scholar
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. 1994. State Soil Geographic (STATSGO) Data Base: Data Use Information. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Miscellaneous Publication No. 1492. US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Peters, C.J. 2007. Mapping potential local foodsheds in New York State: a spatial analysis of the capacity to produce food closer to the point of consumption. Ph.D. dissertation, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.Google Scholar
US Geological Survey. 1997. 1992 National Land Cover Dataset. Available at Web site: http://landcover.usgs.gov/natllandcover.php (accessed April 2006).Google Scholar
US Geological Survey. 2000. Accuracy Assessment of 1992 National Land Cover Data. Available at Web site: http://landcover.usgs.gov/accuracy/index.php.Google Scholar
US Census Bureau. 2002. Urbanized Area and Urban Cluster Census 2000 Boundary Files. Available at Web site: http://www.census.gov/geo/www/ua/ua_bdfile.html (accessed April 2006).Google Scholar
US Census Bureau. 2002. Census 2000 Urban and Rural Classification. Available at Web site: http://www.census.gov/geo/www/ua/ua_2k.html (verified 16 June 2008).Google Scholar
US Census Bureau. 2004. Centers of Population by Block Group. Available at Web site: http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/blkgrp/bg_cenpop.html (accessed April 2006).Google Scholar
Horner, M.W. and Murray, A.T. 2003. A multi-objective approach to improving regional jobs-housing balance. Regional Studies 37(2):135–146.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frontline Systems, Inc. 2005. Premium Solver Platform for use with Microsoft Excel®. Version 6.5. Frontline Systems, Inc., Incline Village, NV. Available at Web site: http://www.solver.com (verified 8 October 2008).Google Scholar
Frontline Systems, Inc. 2005. Large-Scale LP/QP Solver Engine. Version 6.5. Frontline Systems, Inc., Incline Village, NV. Available at Web site: http://www.solver.com (verified 8 October 2008).Google Scholar
Frontline Systems, Inc. 2005. Premium Solver Platform for use with Microsoft Excel®, User Guide. Frontline Systems, Inc., Incline Village, NV.Google Scholar
Frontline Systems, Inc. 2005. Premium Solver Platform: Solver Engines, User Guide. Frontline Systems, Inc., Incline Village, NV.Google Scholar
USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service. 2007. Natural Resources Inventory 2003 Annual NRI: Summary Report for all States. Available at Web site: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/land/nri03/nri03landuse-mrb.html (verified 15 February 2007).Google Scholar
New York Agricultural Statistics Service. 2006. New York Agricultural Statistics 2005–2006 Annual Bulletin. Albany, New York. Available at Web site: http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/New_York/Publications/Annual_Statistical_Bulletin/2006/06-bulletin.htm (verified 23 May 2007).Google Scholar
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. 2004. 2002 Census of Agriculture Query Tool (v1.2). Available at Web site: http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census02/censuscd/index.htm (verified 30 March 2007).Google Scholar
US Census Bureau. 2002. Lists of Urbanized Areas and Urban Clusters. Available at Web site: http://www.census.gov/geo/www/ua/uaucinfo.html#lists (accessed April 2006).Google Scholar
Lapping, M.B. 2004. Toward the recovery of the local in the globalizing food system: the role of alternative agricultural and food models in the US. Ethics, Place, and Environment 7(3):141–150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, S.L. and Pilz, U.F. 1969. US Agriculture: Potential Vulnerabilities. Stanford Research Institute, Menlo Park, CA.Google Scholar