Strengthening and Creating Institutional Markets in the Chequamegon Bay Foodshed

Abstract

Communities around the world are working towards agriculture sustainability through research and design of local food systems. Three cities within the Chequamegon Bay region of Wisconsin have developed initiatives to become Eco-municipalities with a focus on sustainable agriculture. The two-county region is rich with producers and consumers and a local food system seemed logical. A research study associated with the Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry Program of the Global Environmental Management Education Center at UW-Stevens Point was designed (1) to obtain local knowledge from food producers and institutional consumers for identifying opportunities for improved marketing potential, and (2) to develop outreach education materials and recommendations to enhance communication in developing a successful Chequamegon Bay Foodshed initiative. To address the first ‘local knowledge’ objective, interviews with 19 local producers and 15 institutional consumers were conducted from Winter 2006 to Summer 2007 that revealed marketing barriers in developing a local food system in the Chequamegon Bay Foodshed. The producers were selected through their current participation in farmers’ markets and the University of Wisconsin Extension. The consuming institutions, such as restaurants, schools, hospitals, and nursing home facilities, were selected through their potential to source large quantities of food for a long timeframe. Qualitative and quantitative information from the interviews was analyzed by grouping similar statements or ideas into themes that relate to barriers and opportunities discussed in the literature review. The identification of the barriers led to recommendations that reduced or removed the barriers in order to create a stronger local food system in the Chequamegon Bay region. To address the second ‘outreach’ objective, two educational products were developed: (1) a local food guide to advertise local producers and consuming institutions, and (2) an outreach brochure with recommendations to educate the public about the opportunities available for the community to develop a sustainable local food system in the Chequamegon Bay Foodshed. A community forum was held featuring a presentation to share foodshed development recommendations and to promote discussion and action in strengthening local food markets. Depicted in a Chequamegon Bay Foodshed concept map, a local food cooperative recommendation brings local food producers and local institutional consumers together for efficient communication and business transactions. The main branches of the local food cooperative consist of 1) production schedule, 2) local food guide, 3) local food hotline, 4) local food label, 5) processing center, 6) storage center, 7) delivery system, and a 8) new farmer incubator program.