Columbia Sustainability Partners

Steph Larsen at Grist.org has a good article about some of the often overlooked aspects of developing a truly sustainable local food economy.  Here in Columbia we are lucky to have grocers willing to stock some local food options.  However, this is likely not enough for long-term sustainability of the market.  Producers are subject to the whims of local buyers, which makes investment in the production operation risky.

It is my hope that within the year and with the City’s sustainability efforts real progress can be made to further develop the local food system.  My personal target is for at least one of the elementary schools to develop a menu that relies on the use of local foods.  The advantage of going with a school is that the needs are predictable, and many of the distribution avenues created may be scalable.