A Land-Based and Spatial Assessment of Local Food Capacity in Northern Idaho, USA

Felix Haifeng Liao, Brendan Gordon, Colette DePhelps, Darin Saul, Chao Fan and Wenlong Feng
Additional contact information
Felix Haifeng Liao: Department of Geography, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-3021, USA
Brendan Gordon: Department of Geography, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-3021, USA
Colette DePhelps: University of Idaho Extension, Northern District, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-3021, USA
Darin Saul: College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-3021, USA
Chao Fan: Department of Geography, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-3021, USA
Wenlong Feng: Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA

Land, 2019, vol. 8, issue 8, 1-13

Abstract: Across the United States, there has been a growing interest in local food production, which provides an alternative way to increase self-sufficiency and support greater well-being and food security at the community level. This study focused on the Northern Panhandle region of Idaho, where opportunities derived from the local food movement have emerged in several resort and college towns. This research integrated spatial analysis and modeling in a geographic information system (GIS) environment and a linear-programming (LP) optimization approach to identify, quantify, and map these potential opportunities. The obtained results show that existing local food producers are located in the urban fringe and on productive cropland. The foodshed model further suggests that Northern Idaho has enough farmland to feed its whole population within an average distance of 49 km or 31 miles. An alternative land use scenario was explored that involves removing marginal cropland with high soil erodibility from commodity cropping to improve the ecological benefits of local food production. The results of the study, including nuanced evidence of growing demand for local-food products, the existence of enough cropland capacity to meet demand, and potential environmental benefits, are quite encouraging to local food advocates in Northern Idaho and other areas and demonstrate the utility of land-based foodshed analysis.

Keywords: geographic information systems (GIS); land use planning; foodshed model; local food systems; spatial analysis and modeling; production capacity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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