TNJ Sustainability & Resilience Toolkit: Sustainability Solutions

Local Food

In the conventional industrial food system, fresh and packaged foods may travel hundreds, even thousands of miles on planes, cargo ships, and trucks before being consumed. In a locally-based food system, food is produced and consumed within a locality or region (typically within 100 miles). A local food system decreases the distance food is transported before being consumed, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, air pollutants and energy use. Smaller-scale farms within a local food system are more likely to employ sustainable agriculture practices. Local food systems create economic opportunities for producers and vendors and provide residents with fresh, healthy food. Working with partners, counties and municipalities should help build a local food system consisting of growers (local farms, community gardens), manufacturers, distributors, vendors (farmers markets, restaurants, supermarkets) institutions (schools, hospitals, large employers) emergency food providers (food pantries, soup kitchens) consumers (local residents, visitors, and public food assistance recipients) and waste management (composting programs).

Related TNJ Plan Focus Areas

Focus Area 1: Create and retain well-paying jobs by supporting growth in our region’s key industries
Focus Area 3: Strengthen the region’s economy by building on existing assets and infrastructure
Focus Area 6: Create vibrant places and neighborhoods that will attract and retain residents, workers and visitors
Focus Area 10: Enhance the resilience of the region’s communities and infrastructure
Focus Area 12: Improve health outcomes for our region’s residents

Implementation Strategies

Support local food production

Revise land use ordinances to allow for small scale food production and provide financial support.

Preserve farmland and assist farmers

Work with agencies, nonprofits and private citizens to preserve farmland and enable access to farm assistance.

Support community gardens

Assist communities with limited access to fresh foods establish community gardens.

Set up a local farmers market

Establish a farmers market to support the local economy, new/small farmers and increase healthy food access.

Back to Sustainability Solutions