Page 23 - Hillview_book

La Crosse Area’s Local Food System & Urban Agriculture
Hillview and many other area individuals, organizations, businesses, institutions and government agencies strive for a stronger and more sustainable local food system. The following section gives examples of how
the La Crosse area is addressing food security, public health and ecological health, along with advancing the economic vitality of local agriculture through initiatives, programs and events promoting and celebrating local foods in the greater La Crosse area. Examples are also given of various kinds of gardening, including backyard, community and school gardens, all of which contribute to a healthy community.
The sections on Urban Agriculture and Local Food System contain information researched and written by Western Technical College’s Technical Reporting class as part of its research project in spring 2014 as well as by Cole Nelson, La Crosse Public Library Archives Intern.
Definitions:
LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS are crucial for thriving communities and offer con- sumers an alternative to relying solely on the global industrial food sys- tem. The industrial food system relies on large-scale operations producing enormous amounts of crops and products that go through many processes such as manufacturing, packing and distribution before finally reaching the end user or consumer. Throughout this industrial food process, quan- tity often plays a more important role than the quality of the food.
In contrast, a local food system tries to achieve the most direct process of farmer to consumer and focuses on quality and sustainability in a robust collaborative environment. This food system also focuses on sustainable methods to produce, process and market healthy local foods.
In the La Crosse area, Hillview and many other organizations, businesses, institutions and government agencies strive for a stronger and more sustainable local food system.
URBAN AGRICULTURE is the practice of cultivating, processing and distributing food in or around a village, town or city and is also a part of creating a larger community food system.
In the past, the United States has focused urban agriculture discussions around developing private and community gardens; however, today, the concept of urban agriculture goes far beyond that.
A paper, “Investing in Healthy, Sustainable Places through Urban Agri- culture,” commissioned by the Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, notes:
A community-based food-systems approach has the potential to simultaneously address issues of food security, public health, social justice, and ecological health in local communities and regions, as well as the economic vitality of agriculture and rural communities. Such an approach emphasizes, strengthens, and makes visible
the relationships among producers, processors, distributors, and consumers of food at the local and regional levels, while aiming to be place-based, ecologically sound, economically productive, socially cohesive, and food secure.
Sai (left), a Western Technical College student, assists Ann Severeid of High Springs Farm at Cameron Park Farmers Market.
PHOTO: Peter Solberg
PRESENT