1. The “Eat Local” Phenomena …
Coming to a Town Near You!
Brownbag Presentation
March 25, 2008
Lisa Gruver
Erin Orwig

2. Why Eat Local?
…knowing where your food comes from
+ engaging in the act of eating,
benefits your…
•Community
•Environment
•Economics
•Health, Safety, Security

3. Community
• Relationships between
producers and consumers
• Social capital (including animals)
• Support the livelihoods of local
producers

4. ….. L. J. Hanifan, state supervisor of rural schools in West
Virginia wrote in 1916, regarding social capital and it’s
importance for successful schools….
“those tangible substances [that] count for most in the daily
lives of people: namely good will, fellowship, sympathy, and
social intercourse among the individuals and families who
make up a social unit....The individual is helpless socially, if
left to himself....If he comes into contact with his neighbor,
and they with other neighbors, there will be an accumulation
of social capital, which may immediately satisfy his social
needs and which may bear a social potentiality sufficient to
the substantial improvement of living conditions in the whole
community. The community as a whole will benefit by the
cooperation of all its parts, while the individual will find in his
associations the advantages of the help, the sympathy, and
the fellowship of his neighbors.”

5. Three times more consumers
surveyed at urban farmers
markets than consumers
surveyed at rural farmers
markets ….
disagreed
….that they go to a farmer’s
market strictly to buy food.

6. Environment
• Consumers can drive farmer practices to be more
environmentally friendly!
e.g.…less use of pesticides, protection of waterways
from pollution by nutrients or antibiotics, pasture-
based systems which reduce soil erosion, conserve
energy & water, and reduce concentration of animal
wastes
• Most food consumed travels an average of 1500
miles – lots of gas, pollution, and refrigeration!
• It takes 4-17 times less oil to produce local food
compared to nonlocal

7. Economic
• Money remains within the community-for
every dollar spent at an IA farmer’s market it
generates $1.58 in additional sales
• Supports sustainable land development
• Supports rural economic benefits (open space,
Spoon River Drive, agritourism, etc.)

9. Health, Safety, Security
• Fresher – “just picked this morning”
• Eating local usually leads to eating more
whole foods (fruits, vegetables, grains)
• Safer because fewer handlers and less time
between production and consumption
• Reduced “bio-contamination” issues because
decentralized network of harvest, washing,
packing
• Production closer to home reduces chances of
food scarcity from disruption in food system

10. And……food grown, sold, prepared,
and eaten with care…..
Tastes better!!

11. The Local Food Movement …
From slow beginnings to rapidly inviting
you to participate!

12. General Stuff on Slow Food International

13. •Program: Storing Winter Root Vegetables
•Local Coffee and Scones – and Wine Tasting
•Indian Food at Gateway to India – tour the kitchen with owners Charles
and Lynette
•Honey Tasting at the Farmers Market
•Blues & BBQ event
•Tour of Garrick Veeenstra’s Organic Farm
•Fall Menu at Maldaner’s - $35 (includes meal tea/coffee, taxes, and
gratuity)
•Joint Illinois Stewardship Alliance-Slow Food Springfield Membership
Program on Large Scale Organic Farming, Heritage Turkeys
•Vermicompost Workshop
•Backyard Organic Gardening
•Tour of the Gillette Mansion & Picnic Elkhart Spring Festival
•Meet Your Local Producers
•Location: Lincoln Park Pavilion
Springfield,
Illinois

22. Food Policy Councils
• Consist of a diverse group of community
members that work in various parts of the
food system (farmers, retailers, anti-hunger
advocates, distributors, processors, school
representatives, etc)
• Examine local food system and identify
barriers
• Provide ideas and recommendations for
improvement through public policy changes

23. Examples of Local Food Policies
• A decision by school officials to purchase foods
raised by local farmers
• Regulations allowing the sales of raw milk to
consumers
• The regulatory health and safety requirements
for food processing
• The eligibility standards for seniors and low-
income individuals to use farmers market
coupons

24. Woodbury County Iowa Policies
• In June 2005, Woodbury County passed a
resolution giving a land tax break to farms that
converted to organic
• In January 2006 another policy was passed to
mandate the county to buy local, organic
foods (foods grown within 100 miles of county
courthouse)

25. Existing Food Policy Councils
• Evanston Food Policy Council
• Tri-State Food Policy Council (Quincy,IL)
• Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council
• Dane County Food Policy Council
(Madison, WI)
• Iowa Food Policy Council
• + 70 others
Check listings at www.foodsecurity.org

26. Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
• CSA directory and case study http://www.value-
added.org/communityCoop/csa.asp
• Additional resources at www.value-added.org
• Other food-related endeavors of IIRA-
cooperative formation, land use
• Taste of the Tri-states

34. University of Illinois Extension,
Knox County
• Hosting community meetings beginning in Sept 2007
• Hosted regional meeting with County Extension; setup
portal for information sharing
• Taste of Galesburg (July 24, 2008) with local foods display
board
• Local Food Expo with chef competition
• “Local Pride” flags to label local food in Hy-Vee
• Producer Conference in November in partnership with
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic
Opportunity

35. Other Organizations/Resources
• Food Security Coalition
• Sustainable Table
• Leopold Center
• Illinoisfarmdirect.com
• Localharvest.org
• Eatwellguide.com
• Marketmaker.uiuc.edu
• ???

36. Food Initiatives Group
We advocate for a revolution of food and
agriculture – the resurgence of a local food culture
that provides every person access to sustainably
produced, nutritious food.
Our goals are to promote the participation of
community members in:
-understanding, fostering, and celebrating the
ecological, economic, ethical, social, and historical
components of sustainable food networks.
-developing appreciation for the growing, preparing, and
eating of food.
-supporting policies that facilitate expansion of the
local foods market and education of new farmers.

37. Timeline of FIG’s Development
• July 2, 2007 “Local Food Issues” Meeting at
Barefoot Gardens CSA with Members (17)
• August 10 Meeting with some CSA members and
future partners (10)• August 15 Identifying Interests: Slow Food, Healthy
Food in Schools, Year Round Access, and School
Gardens/Health, Cooking education (24)• August 29 (19) Identifying Goals: Educate/Raise
Awareness & Enhance Local Markets
• September 20 Articulating Mission
Statement/Goals, Change of Name from Food
Issues Group to Food Initiatives Group, Change
from Rotational Leadership to Assigned
Responsibilities (8?)
• October 24 Articulating Mission Statements/Goals,
First Steering Board, Discussion of FIG as an
organization (8?)
• November 26 FIG as a 501c3 or joining with ISA?
Action Team Brainstorming, FIGs involvement in an
AGRI-First grant (17)

38. • January 12 Potluck, Discussion of FIG with ISA, Action
Team Meetings, Discussion of grant, Movie King Corn
(18)
• February 18 Discussion of Action Teams, By-laws (18)
• March 3 Establishment of Membership/Dues, Elections
of Officers, Discussion of Action Teams (16)
• April 5 Potluck, Logo Voting, Advisory Board, Action
Teams (?)
• March 17 First formal board meeting, Discussion of
Action Teams, Logo, Grant/Farmer Cooperative, + (7)

39. Action Items
• Three FIG Members met with the Superintendent of Macomb
Schools to discuss Healthier School Lunches
• An Editor to the Letter was written by two FIG members about
School Lunches and signed by >20 people
• In October, two FIG members collaborated with three students
from Spoon River College to send a survey to farmers and ask
local restaurant owners about their interest in using locally
grown food
• In January, the survey results were compiled and sent to
respondents
• Receipt of a written historical account of food culture from a
community member
• In March, FIG asked for assistance in logo design from a
student in a Spoon River College class

40. Some Results from the
Local Food System Survey

41. A total of 33 surveys (out of 119 deliverable)
were returned (28%)
A total of 33 surveys (out of 119 deliverable) were returned (28%)
Production Type of Respondents by Acres and Number
0
200
400
600
Acres
(12)
(8)
(5) (11)(9) (3) (2)

42. Marketing Strategies of Respondents
0
10
20
30
40
PercentofSales(Averaged)

43. Markets Interested in Expanding in Volume or Using in the Future
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Restaurants
Grocery
FarmStand
Farmer's
Market
Directto
Institutions
Direct
MarketingCoop
CSA
Direct
WevMarketing
Family
Processor
Wholesaler
U-Pick
Large
Processor
Wholesale
Cooperative
Auction
Other
No.ofRespondents

44. • Respondents produce on average 93% of what
they sell
• The average maximum distance respondents
would drive their goods to market was 64 miles
• Twelve or 44% responding to the question, were
interested in use of a shared certified kitchen
• Ten or 37% responding to the question, were
interested in having “gleaners” come to harvest
extras
• Twelve or 41% responding to the question, had
experience accepting WIC coupons and 75% had
a good experience with it
• 1/3 responding to the question were interested in
accepting payment through the Link debit card

45. Upcoming Action Items
• Representation at Farmer’s Market Board Meeting
• Representation at WIU’s April 2nd Earth Summit with
Display
• Representation with Display at the Earth Day Fair
April 26th hosted by Environmentally Concerned
Citizens, Spoon River College, and Audubon Society
• Ticketed Locally Grown Dinner in Summer

46. Factors Contributing to
Success Thus Far…
Informal network of individuals/friends
already vested in food via membership at
Barefoot Gardens CSA (social capital)

47. Access to technological tools
and assistance
• Listserv 1: fig@lists.wrecking.org (39)
• Listserve 2: fig-announce@lists.wrecking.org (32)
• Website: http://www.macombfig.org
• Online writeboard
• Online survey
• Web designer

48. • Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
• University of Illinois Extension
• Illinois Stewardship Alliance
• Tri-States Radio
• New Copperfield’s Book Service
• Illinois Coalition for Community Services
• Macomb Area Economic Development Corporation
• Macomb Chamber of Commerce
• WIU Organic Research Program
Interest, investment, and support
from other organizations