"A foodshed is the geographical area between where food is produced and where that food is consumed. The foodshed concept is similar to a watershed—both encompass the flow of a substance from its origin to its ultimate destination."
Definition from Michigan State University
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Many folks think of the "food system" as it's core components: the inner orange circle, with farmers and distributors and retailers and the like. It is, but it is also much more. Some diagrams omit both animals and us eaters and drinkers. We think consumers drive the need for the whole thing. And animals participate with the ultimate price. They deserve to be included, and treated humanely up to market day.
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Surrounding core food system activities are their direct enablers: the companies that do the activities - and their funders - as well as the policy makers that set the rules and the regulators that enforce them.
Where is "government" in this framework, you ask? Government plays so many roles, we've elected to place associate specific government agencies or departments with the role they play, the activities they do, rather than lump all government into one big ol' pot. |
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Beyond that, there is a whole world of supporters, influencers, and cheerleaders. One of the most recent arrivals on that scene is the EcoSystem Builder, whose job it is to help everyone else connect, collaborate, and succeed.
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Of course we wouldn't want to forget the overall context in which that food system operates, particularly our old friend Mother Nature!
Other important aspects of context include the actual people (the "talent") available to work in the food system; the overriding national, regional, and "food" culture; the modern world of data and information technology; and the web of collaboration and mutual benefit that binds it all together. |
Components
(Some of the components are linked to "Initiatives" targeting that component. Hover over the images below to find the links.)
Core Components
eaters and drinkers, us, everyone on earth
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land, soil fertilizer, feed, equipment, precision ag tech, energy, services
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livestock, poultry
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transformation of raw material into value-added product including livestock, grains, produce
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consumer packaged goods, brands, co-packers
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brokering, aggregating, storing, distributing and delivering
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for end-customer consumption: restaurants, cafeterias, caterers
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grocery stores, farmers markets, mobile farm-to-institution trucks, end-customer delivery companies
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trash haulers, food waste recovery, composters, hunger agencies, up cyclers
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Direct Enablers
start-ups, small business, artisans, crafters, mid-size firms
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the biggies across all core component functions
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federal, state, & local executive & legislative bodies, food policy boards, think tanks, planning agencies
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certifiers, gov't enforcement agencies, self-regulating associations
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banks, farm credit, private investors, foundations, fintech
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Supporters
primary food system surveyors, ag study drivers, secondary research compilers
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promoters of the good food movement, either as individual grassroots activists or as organizations
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trainers, consultants, mentors, developers, designers, experts, marketers, accountants, lawyers
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colleges, universities, technical training schools, online learning, entrepreneur & producer trainers
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aka ecosystem entrepreneur, convener, facilitator, catalysts, connectors, cheerleaders, co-creators and changemakers
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incubators and accelerators, cohort programs
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industry groups
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co-working, shared commercial kitchens
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magazines, newspapers, radio, blogs, websites, social media outlets
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Context
weather, soil, ecology, humans, organisms
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the building of social capital with a focus on the common good and food culture - honoring and helping food cultures from various groups
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the humans, the workers, the environment that attracts and retains quality, creative, hard working people
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information technology, precision agriculture, SaaS, mobile apps, big data, little data, just right data
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intersections facilitating the interaction of people, ideas and resources;
cooperation, trust; reciprocity |
On-Ramps
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On-Ramps are access points so that all interested people can participate, with particular attention to historically un- or under-represented peoples. On-ramps should be explicitly built and promoted by the players within an ecosystem.
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download
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Download this Framework in a one-page .pdf
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To comment on the Framework, please visit the Discussion page about it here.