Planning to grow

Abstract

With rising consumer interest in and demand for locally grown food, new opportunities are emerging for small and mid-size farms that are classified as being in the “agriculture of the middle.” These farms fall between mainstream commodity farms and small direct-to-consumer markets. To take advantage of the new opportunities, rural communities should employ planning professionals to do food system planning who understand the complexity and variability in the food system with an eye to sustainability. A methodology is developed to identify areas where potential food hubs might thrive based on criteria derived from existing food hubs and other literature on direct-to-consumer markets. Using specific criteria indicators, an 11 county study region in rural East Central Georgia emerges between four metropolitan areas where a food hub could be pursued as a regional economic development strategy. Specific recommendations are given for establishing a food hub in this region.