What’s Stopping Us? Identifying Barriers to the Local Food ...

What's Stopping Us? Identifying Barriers to the Local Food Movement Using Ontario, Canada as a Case Study

by

Lisa Ann Ohberg

A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts

Department of Geography and Planning University of Toronto

? Copyright by Lisa Ann Ohberg 2012

What's Stopping Us? Identifying Barriers to the Local Food Movement Using Ontario, Canada as a Case Study

Abstract

Lisa Ann Ohberg Master of Arts

Department of Geography and Planning University of Toronto

2012

The local food movement has been offered as an alternative to the conventional food system. This thesis identifies the barriers that are constraining the local food movement using the case study of Ontario, Canada, by performing qualitative analysis of informal interview responses. In addition to generating a comprehensive account of the barriers constraining local food, barriers to local food procurement in the institutional context are also identified. Findings suggest that the barriers to the local food movement can be related to a lack of access, lack of resources, poor governance structures, poor information sharing and uncooperative relationships between local food actors. I argue that these barriers are reflective of the broader challenges associated with attempting to create food systems change from within the dominant system. Daunting as they may be, they can be overcome in an incremental, pragmatic way. Nineteen recommendations are made to this end.

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Acknowledgments

Thank you to my defense committee, Dr. Ryan Isakson, Dr. Susannah Bunce and Dr. Sarah Wakefield for their thoughtful comments and feedback. Thank you to Kathy Macpherson and Franco Naccarato for sharing their time and expertise. Thank you to Dr. Alison Blay-Palmer, Dr. Karen Landman the rest of the Food Hubs research team for a stimulating experience collaborating on the Food Hubs research endeavor and for making this data available for this initiative. Thank you to my academic supervisor, Dr. Sarah Wakefield for her support, encouragement and feedback throughout the writing process. Finally thank you to my family and friends for their constant support and warm encouragement. I gratefully acknowledge that this research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

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Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...........................................................................................................................III TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................................................................ IV LIST OF TABLES...................................................................................................................................... VI LIST OF ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................................. VII CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 2 LOCAL FOOD FOR GLOBAL CHALLENGES: A LITERATURE REVIEW....................5 2.1 THE CONVENTIONAL FOOD SYSTEM ............................................................................................5 2.2 THE `GOOD FOOD' IDEAL..................................................................................................................7 2.3 IS LOCAL FOOD GOOD FOOD? THE RATIONALE FOR LOCAL AS ALTERNATIVE...............9 2.4 LOCAL FOOD INITIATIVES: HOW IS LOCAL INVOKED TO EFFECT POSITIVE CHANGE? 12 CHAPTER 3 DATA AND METHODS ......................................................................................................24 3.1 FOOD HUBS DATASET......................................................................................................................24 3.2 BROADER PUBLIC SECTOR INVESTMENT FUND DATASET ...................................................26 3.3 METHODS AND ANALYSIS..............................................................................................................28 3.4 LIMITATIONS......................................................................................................................................30 3.5 CONCLUSION......................................................................................................................................32 CHAPTER 4 RESULTS..............................................................................................................................33 4.1 ACCESS ................................................................................................................................................33 4.2 RESOURCES AND SUPPLY...............................................................................................................38 4.3 GOVERNANCE AND BUREAUCRACY ...........................................................................................49 4.4 INFORMATION AND RELATIONS...................................................................................................54 4.5 CONCLUSION......................................................................................................................................60 CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................61 5.1 SUMMARY OF THE BARRIERS TO THE LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT......................................62 5.2 OVERCOMING OBSTACLES: SOLUTIONS AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS .................66

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5.2.1 POLICY ............................................................................................................................................66 5.2.2 FUNDING .........................................................................................................................................67 5.2.3 INTERNAL GOVERNANCE OF CONVENTIONAL SUPPLY CHAINS.....................................................69 5.2.4 EDUCATION AND AWARENESS .......................................................................................................71 5.3 BROAD CHALLENGES TO FOOD SYSTEMS CHANGE ...............................................................72 5.4 CONCLUSION......................................................................................................................................74 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................76

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