Toward a Regional Food Economy for Northeast Ohio Presented by Brad Masi, Northeast Ohio Food Congress April 5, 2003

Northeast Ohio Region Northeast Ohio region includes seven county metropolitan area surrounding Cleveland Major challenges: –Urban decay/brownfields –Outmigration from urban cores –Loss of farmland/open space/greenfields –Economic challenges for local agriculture

Regional Land-Use Issues Connection between: –Urban Decay –Loss of Viable Farms –Urban Sprawl Current projections –By 2010, the Cleveland metropolitan area will: Lose 3% of its population Occupy 30% more land for residential/commercial development

Regional Food System Assessment Regional food assessment conducted for Northeast Ohio at Cleveland State Observations: –$ billion in aggregate food purchases (home+out) for seven county area –$254 million total agricultural sales in same area Key question: how to increase slice of regional purchases going to local farmers?

A Tale of Two Food Systems

Facts About Modern Food System Average food molecule travels about 2,000 miles from farm to plate Every calorie of food requires 3 calories of energy for growing and 6.8 calories of energy for distribution and processing Energetics: –10 calories of energy to provide 1 calorie of food

Economics of Food System About 5-20% of every food dollar spent goes to the farmer The remaining 80-95% is tied up in a vast system of distribution, processing and transport Billions of taxpayer dollars support large monocultures that sell at subsidized prices

National Food System Design: Cradle to Grave A Brief Moment of Indulgence Food Processing Food Grown: Farm 1,300 miles away Food Transport Food Packaging Food Transport 3 calories of energy 6.8 calories of energy Carbon dioxide Soil erosion Nutrient/Chemical pollution LANDFILL Food Waste Transport Food Waste Disposal Methane Waste Accumulation Atmospheric Carbon Accumulation

Whole Food System Demand-Side Restaurants Grocery Stores Institutions Supply-Side Organic Farms Transitional Farms New Farms Transaction Side Food Distribution Local Food Marketing Processing Packaging Direct Marketing CSA’s Farmers’ Markets Roadside Stands Direct Sales Food Waste In-vessel systems Urban Gardens Back to farms

Building a Reigonal Food System: The Oberlin Model

Local Food Purchasing at Oberlin Connect farmers to dining halls and coops at Oberlin College $10,000 purchased from farmers in 1991 Purchases between dining coops and dining halls equaled $120,000 in 2001 College invested several thousand to buy dispensers for local, organic milk Figure represents about 3% of total purchases How to get to 40% as achieved by Bates College in Maine?

Back at the Farm Farm Program –Community Supported Agriculture –Applied Research and Education –Direct Marketing to Oberlin College –Innovations in Soil Restoration

Restoring Soil with a Chicken Tractor

Chicken Tractor at Work

Accelerating Topsoil Formation

Oh yeah…and Eggs Too!

Farm as Microcosm Use farm as grounding point for broader regional vision –Innovations in small-scale agriculture and land-use –Use of compost and chicken tractors to revitalize degraded soils –New economic relationships –New materials economy (strawbale construction) –Ecological sustainability

Building a Vision for a New Food Economy for Northeast Ohio

Vision for Change What is needed: –Innovation and entrepreneurial activity across all sectors of the food economy: Demand side Supply side Transaction side –Broader network and closer connections between: Farmers Food sector businesses Consumers

Northeast Ohio Food Congress Overall purpose of Congress –Build collaborations across all sectors of the local food economy: Farmers Distributors Processors/Manufacturers Eaters –Increase profitability across food sector through creation of new markets in Cleveland metropolitan area

Sequence of Events Identification of personal visions Articulation of key barriers and obstacles Identification of practical strategies/next steps –Eaters/Consumers –Transactions/Markets –Farmers/Producers

Agriculture as an Urban Issue Key elements: –Agriculture IS an urban issue –Agriculture belongs in a metropolitan economic development strategy –Farmland is not undeveloped land –Regional food system integrates ecology and economics –Regional food system IS farmland protection